Joint operation targeting shoplifting in Boston takes place
A joint operation targeting shoplifting in Boston has taken place, resulting in a number of arrests.
The crackdown – staged on Tuesday (September 17) – involved Lincolnshire Police, Boston Borough Council, and shop staff and security officers from the town.
Danni Pratt, from Boston’s Neighbourhoods Policing Team, said: “It is acknowledged that Boston has the highest rate of shop theft in the county. Significant effort has been made to reduce the number of thefts in these areas with success over recent months.”
The initiative formed part of Lincolnshire Police’s Operation Plotting, which aims to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour in the town, as well as the fear of crime.
It was also connected to the force’s ShopWatch scheme, a collaborative approach to cutting retail-related crime.
As a result of the operation:
- Luke Newark 41, of Tattershall Bridge, Lincoln, was arrested and charged with theft. He was handed an 18-week sentence in prison and a Community Behaviour Order for two years where he can only attend one store in the town.
- Two women were charged with shop thefts from across the county totalling £4,000 – Bethany McDonagh, 21, of Pickard Close, Enfield, London, was remanded into custody, and is due to appear at Boston Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday (September 24); Helen Joyce, 20, of Ver Meadows Caravan Site, Redbourn, St Albans, Hertfordshire, has been bailed.
- A 41-year-old woman and a 31-year-old man were both issued a police caution.
- A 37-year-old man has been released pending further investigation.