Sussex garden centre loses £1m of stock in three years after spate of shoplifting incidents
ITV News Meridian's Malcolm Shaw has been speaking to business owners affected.
A garden centre says it has lost around £1m in stock in three years after a spate of shoplifting incidents.
Tates of Sussex runs four garden centres and says the crime has become far too frequent, which not only hits profits, but threatens the welfare of staff and customers too.
The company has spent more than £100,000 to boost security at its branches. One couple was seen on CCTV at its Brighton concealing items in a baby's pram.
CCTV from the garden centres show just how calmly the criminals take large volumes of stock.
New figures from Sussex Police shows that shoplifting has risen 40%, which is well above the national average of 28%. It is the second highest rise outside London.
An inquiry on Tuesday (5 November) by the House of Lords reported that shop theft has evolved from what it called 'individualised offending' to relentless large-scale organised operations accompanied by unprecedented levels of violence.
The force said it is committed to tackling all types of acquisitive crime and understand the traumatic impact robbery and theft has. It also said it has dedicated officers working to identify offenders and prosecute them.
The force said another factor to take into account, for the apparent rise in shoplifting in the county, is partly due to more people reporting it.
Head of Security at Tates says the issue has become "prolific"
Christopher Hoare, Head of Security, Tates of Sussex said: "It’s a growing problem for us. It's becoming more and more prolific, with gangs now targeting us.
"It's no longer just individual items that people are coming in for everyday use, but they’re taking large volumes of stock.
"I think the biggest problem that police have is that they're under resourced and under manned."
Chris Neilson, Business Crime Lead for Sussex Police said: “Sussex Police absolutely understands the financial and personal impact of shoplifting on business owners, employees and the wider community.
"We use a range of powers at our disposal, alongside charges, to reach a satisfactory conclusion for victims. This includes civil orders and community resolutions aimed at managing offenders and bringing about behavioural change.
"Significant investment and engagement has gone towards making reporting as easy as possible, which has naturally seen an increase in the number of reports.
"We investigate whenever there are reasonable lines of enquiry, such as CCTV, vehicles or possible suspects. We prioritise cases if violence has been used, if a person has been detained, if offending is prolific or if it is linked to other incidents."
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