Police have recovered more than £500 pounds worth of stolen goods and arrested three women after pulling over a car believed to be linked to a shop theft spree in Colwick.
Officers had earlier received a report that three suspects had left the Sainsbury’s store with two trolley loads of items they hadn’t paid for before getting in a car and driving off.
The vehicle activated an automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) camera around 9pm on Thursday (21) which prompted officers to follow and stop the car.
Checks were quickly carried out and the car was found to be full of suspected stolen goods which were packed in the boot and stacked up on the back seats and parcel shelf.
The three occupants, aged 38, 34, and 21, were arrested on suspicion of theft.
As well as Sainsbury’s items, police also seized suspected stolen goods from Asda and Morrisons stores from within the car.
Preventing and reducing shop theft continues to be tackled head-on by the Gedling South neighbourhood policing team as part of a problem-solving plan.
High-visibility operations, involving patrolling officers in full uniform and marked police vehicles, are being carried out at the Victoria Retail Park in Netherfield to deter thieves and reassure businesses as part of the ongoing initiative.
Neighbourhood officers remain on the lookout for known offenders, based on intelligence gathered, to help protect businesses and their customers from the harm caused by shop thieves.
Sergeant Mohson Hussain, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Shop theft is not a victimless crime, and it can have a significant detrimental impact on retail staff and shop customers.
“As a force we continue to treat shop theft seriously and our proactive work to combat this issue is ongoing including targeted operations in hot-spot areas, increased patrols, and working closely with businesses to reduce retail crime.
“We are continuing to support retailers and provide crime prevention advice and I’d like to reassure people that we will not tolerate this type of offending and will always take robust action.”
