Shoplifting rise leading to 'many crimes going unreported' in Wells
Ben McGrail visited businesses in Wells who say shoplifting has increased
Business owners in Wells have told ITV News countless crimes are going unreported and they’re experiencing a huge increase in shoplifting.
Avon and Somerset Police has said it's working to make reporting of thefts and the uploading of CCTV images faster.
But shops and traders say they’re trying to work together to alert each other of known offenders.
Polly Gamble runs a market stall selling jewellery. She said she has started wearing a whistle to warn off people trying to steal her stock.
She said: "I'm not a big corporation, I don't budget it into my pricing. It is a personal attack - you feel victimised, you feel almost betrayed by the person in front of you that's trying to swindle you out of something."
Natalie Taylor owns Runway Boutique in the city. The business has been in Wells for eight years and she says the problem of shoplifting has gradually got worse.
She said: "They're getting more and more obvious and are having less regard for anything.
"It feels really personal. I think because it's such a small family business it's gutting. I feel sad for other customers who are supporting us when people are helping themselves and thinking they can get away with it."
Louis Agabani is chair of the city's Chamber of Commerce and is also a Wells City Councillor.
He believes the police presence in Wells has decreased following the closure of the police station there.
He said: "It's very arduous. It takes too long - it can take up to half an hour, forty minutes, to report an item being stolen and that makes retailers not want to do it because they spend too much time on that.
"The consequence of that is that a lot of crime goes unreported so the figures may not be as they should be. I would encourage retailers to put the time into reporting shoplifting, however small it is."
In response, Avon and Somerset Police said: "We take thefts from shops seriously and encourage store workers to report incidents, especially when threats or violence is used.
“There has been a nationwide increase in reported shoplifting offences and that is reflected across Avon and Somerset.
"We're encouraged by increased reporting, as we know the previously shop theft has been significantly under-reported.
“While we have to prioritise all calls based on the level of threat, harm and risk, any incident in which there has been violence or a suspect remains on the scene will be prioritised, as well as when evidence needs to be promptly secured or forensically examined.
"This is in accordance with the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s Retail Crime Action Plan that was released in October 2023.
“We're working to make it easier to report online and upload CCTV and the statements necessary to support our investigations in a timely way, and a new team within our Incident Assessment Unit is now focused on prolific offenders.
“In Wells, we've seen 192 reported thefts from shops in the past 18 months. Annually, reports of shoplifting across Somerset are lower than the force average and Wells accounts for less than 3.5 per cent of all shop theft in Somerset.
"Almost 12 per cent of reported shop theft in the city has a positive outcome, either through charges or out-of-court disposals.
"Last week, we arrested, and subsequently charged, a man with eight offences, three of which were thefts from supermarkets in Wells.
“The city's neighbourhood policing team is available to work with stores' staff and security teams to offer safety advice.
"Where repeat and prolific offenders have been identified, officers encourage shops to issue civil banning letters, which, if ignored, can provide evidence to enable action to be taken under Anti-Social Behaviour legislation.
"This legislation has been used successfully to target persistent offenders with orders which can be used both to tackle unwanted behaviour, such as barring them from certain shopping areas, and to require positive action, like engaging with support.”