Three new schemes have been highlighted by Essex Police this week, all created to aid retailers in the ongoing battle against shoplifters, staff abuse and more.
Faster court appearances
The first is helping to get shoplifting suspects to court faster, it said. In just six months, it’s secured 930 charges and saved more than 10 weeks of officer time.
Since April 2025, suspects named in shop theft cases can be summonsed straight to magistrates’ court without arrest or interview, if there’s strong evidence against them.
Between 1 April and 30 September, 284 suspects were dealt with this way, leading to 930 charges, and 565 more solved offences compared to the same period in 2024.
Inspector Terry Jacobs, of the force’s Business Crime Team, explains that Operation Retail is successful thanks to the co-operation of retailers: “The scheme depends on shops being able to provide clear CCTV footage, witness statements, and details of stolen items.
“This evidence allows officers to secure charges more quickly, without the need for arrest and interview. We’ve seen an increase in the number of defendants who plead guilty at the first court hearing, saving time.
“The scheme also prevents delays that could lead to lost footage or fading memories, which has contributed to the increasing number of shop thefts being solved.”
Confidence in the police has also risen in the retail community, Jacobs said. “We explain that on occasions where we don’t arrest a suspect, it doesn’t mean we are letting them go. If we have strong evidence likely to lead to a conviction, there is no need always to arrest them before they are charged and appear before a court.
“Everyone wins, except the criminals.”
In the 12 months to 31 October 2025, Essex Police officers made 1,446 arrests for shop theft across Essex.
Conflict workshops
The Essex Police Business Crime Team is also also running workshops to help hospitality and retail staff deal with conflict at work.
They have delivered sessions all over the county, some in partnership with the Essex Chambers of Commerce.
The sessions offer practical advice on spotting signs of trouble early, staying safe and using communication to calm tense situations. They also offer businesses the opportunity to raise concerns, seek advice and access bespoke crime prevention support.
The sessions provide useful guidance on non-physical techniques, how to identify when violence might occur - before it does - and how to stay safe. Sessions can be booked here.
Just Here To Work
The Just Here To Work scheme is helping businesses support any staff facing harassment.
The Crime Team says it wants businesses and customers to know that “if you’re at work, you’re ‘just here to work.”
Legislation introduced a year ago places a responsibility on employers to protect their staff from sexual harassment from colleagues, customers, clients and the public.
Business crime officer PC Glen Foote was at Lakeside Shopping Centre earlier this week to sign up more businesses to the team’s Just Here To Work campaign. He spoke with staff at eight businesses during the day and also offered conflict management training to a further seven.
Foote said stores were very supportive of the initiative, telling him staff safety was a high priority. “We want to make it clear that bad behaviour at work is never okay,” he added.
Posters containing QR codes link people to information on the Essex Police website about harassment and how to report it.
Foote concluded: “Even if someone doesn’t feel ready to report it, they can still find help and information using the QR codes on our poster, which can be downloaded from our website.”
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