POLICE have said they will be stepping up attempts to catch persistent shoplifters in Wellington town centre.

Sgt Jon O’Connor told members of Wellington Town Council on January 6 that there had recently been a more visible police presence in the area.

And he added that some of his officers had been out and about wearing “jeans and hoodies” in a bid to “blend in” with the surroundings.

He alluded to the fact that the undercover officers may have been out looking for shoplifters.

The news follows a similar campaign in Taunton which saw six prolific shoplifting offenders arrested by officers.

Superintendent Lisa Simpson said: “The impact of theft and threatening behaviour on retailers – especially small businesses – cannot be underestimated. Not only does it have a knock-on effect on the running of a business, which may have economic implications for the wider community, but it can cause harassment, alarm and distress to business owners and staff.

“Retail crime, including shoplifting and anti-social behaviour, is still believed to be under-reported nationally. We want to hear about these incidents so we can gather valuable intelligence and target police resources accordingly.”

The crackdown on shoplifting in towns in Somerset is being carried out by a dedicated team within Avon and Somerset Police’s Incident Assessment Unit, the Volume Offenders Team, helping neighbourhood policing teams identify key locations where perpetrators are operating. Security measures may then be heightened in ‘hotspot’ shops so that resources can be focused on ‘volume offenders’ (repeat offenders with more than three outstanding crime reports).

People have been asked to contact police about shoplifting via the 101 number, although you should always call 999 if you or someone else is in immediate danger, the crime is in progress or the suspect is detained.

Anyone wanting to report shoplifting online can do so at www.avonandsomerset.police.uk.