Busselton theft operations nab more than 50 offenders

Busselton Police say recent operations targeting in-store thefts at major supermarkets have netted a strong result, with a total of 52 offenders copping 56 charges over four days.

The operations were carried out with the cooperation of major supermarkets, with Coles and Woolworths utilising their covert loss prevention officers alongside plain clothes police officers to nab the offenders on the spot.

“Retail crime is big at the moment, and it’s really hurting the community,” Busselton Acting Senior Sergeant Chris Yexley told the Mail.

“We looked at a couple of different models, working with Coles and Woolworths, and Bunnings, with officers placing themselves in the stores and identifying stealing as it happens.

“This means rather than the store simply reporting or having to deal with the thieves, we are arresting people and dealing with them onsite.”

The first two-day operation saw 28 offenders receive 31 charges, before a second two-day operation landed 24 offenders with another 25 charges.

“The range of people caught stealing is astonishing – we’ve picked up senior citizens travelling around Australia with no criminal records, to backpackers, kids, and also regular offenders we are familiar with,” Sgt Yexley said.

“The items being stolen are also broad – from grocery consumables, meats, juice… from one bottle of juice to a whole trolley full of items.”

Senior Sergeant Yexley said while Police understood that stealing can sometimes be a last resort for those doing it tough, the vast majority of offenders do not seek out alternative assistance from programs and resources available in the community.

“The larger supermarkets have the resources to assist us with these types of operations, and it’s easier for plain clothes officers to blend in at the larger stores, whereas we stand out more in the smaller outlets.

“But the problem exists across the whole community – if they’re stealing in these big stores, they’re also stealing from small shops, locally owned and run.

“Retail theft hurts our local businesses, and there are also reports of violence being used, store owners changing their hours to avoid issues.”

Senior Sergeant Yexley urged retailers across the region to report every instance they can, and to ensure they had updated, quality CCTV systems to help with investigations.

“A lot of people say ‘we didn’t want to report it, nothing ever happens, we didn’t want to waste police time’,” he said.

“Every report we get, we follow up on. We are very happy to work with store owners to help them stamp out theft, particularly when they have CCTV footage we can use.

“The more charges we get, the more the courts can do.

“Because of the success of this Busselton operation, other South West stations have taken note and there are now operations being conducted from Augusta to Bunbury, so at any time there could be a police officer there in any shop across the region.”