Tough on shoplifters and antisocial behaviour

Recent police activity in Totnes

Update from Insp Ben Shardlow:

What we’re doing to keep Totnes safe

We know that antisocial behaviour (ASB) at the top of Totnes and in South Brent is causing issues for local communities in the area. The team have received multiple reports about individuals who are being disruptive in these areas which is having a negative impact on the public and businesses.

To target the individuals who are causing these disruptive issues, I’ve tasked police officers to carry out additional high visibility patrols specifically in these areas. There are several reasons why we’re doing this; to identify and pursue the suspects, and to deter them from committing any further ASB incidents. This means you’ll continue to see a presence of police officers on the streets.

The neighbourhood police team is also focusing on pursuing shoplifters, which we know is another crime that has a negative impact on the wellbeing of our local businesses. We’re working closely with shops to identify prolific suspects and gather evidence to support our investigations. The most prolific offenders have been identified and we are actively conducting thorough investigations to target them. We know this isn’t the only answer to reduce shoplifting, so police officers are regularly dropping into local shops at busy times of the day, acting as a deterrent to any potential offenders. We are also working with retailers to encourage them to adopt the best methods to deter people who are looking to thieve from their shops. For example, changing the layout of their store by moving alcohol away from the doors so it is less accessible for opportunist shoplifters.

I know the effect that these crimes can have on our communities and it will not be tolerated in our town. I hope that our proactive police activity provides a reassurance to all of our communities; we are listening to your concerns and taking positive action to resolve issues as quickly as we can.

I also would like to urge the public to continue to report crime and ASB to us. Without your reports we can’t build an accurate picture of where, when and what crime is happening in our communities. Not only that, but your reports mean we are able to make sure we’re carrying out foot patrols in the right places and at the right times, so we can have the biggest impact on making our streets safer.

Recent success

As part of our commitment to keeping communities safe and being tough on crime, we recently had a successful outcome in response to an individual who was in the local areas causing a disruption.

After receiving several reports about his behaviour, the neighbourhood police team worked swiftly to respond to these reports. The man was located, arrested, interviewed and bailed, where he then decided to move to another location in South Hams and continued to cause ASB. In quick response to this, officers arrested him again. As his place of residence was not in Devon, he was later moved out of the county.

Overall, this was a really effective team effort to safeguard our communities and minimise the impact this had on the public.

What to do if you see a dog in a car on a hot day

We regularly get this question in summer, so I thought it would be helpful to share a reminder about what to do if you see a dog left in a car on a hot day.

Please always contact the RSPCA in the first instance – they will be able to provide you with guidance and support over the phone during the situation. They will also be able to advise whether you need to get in touch with the police for an emergency.

If the dog is showing signs of extreme distress and heatstroke, call 999.

For more information, visit RSPCA.

As always, thanks for continuing to support our local neighbourhood team and providing us with vital information that helps us to form priorities to keep our town safe. If you are interested in attending public meetings, where we discuss local priorities, please visit our website.