Proactive neighbourhood policing reduces retail crime in South Manchester

Neighbourhood policing teams across GM are proactively tackling retail crime by strengthening relationships with local retailers and using an evidence-based approach to hold offenders accountable and prevent repeat thefts.

A team of officers from our City of Manchester South district’s prevention hub, dedicated to tackling emerging issues in the community, conducted research into retail crime in the area and identified four key retail locations in Withington that were adversely affected by retail crime.

We gathered a volume of CCTV footage and developed intelligence to identify prolific thieves, noting patterns of offending, and improved our response to incidents. As a result, over six months, from October 2024 to April 2025, we have made significant progress:

• 238 criminal charges issued
• 33 suspects have been arrested on suspicion of multiple offences relating to retail crime
• 15 custodial sentences have been secured
• 9 criminal behaviour orders

Chief Inspector Steve Warriner, from GMP’s City of Manchester South district, said: “We are enhancing community safety on our local high streets and working with Manchester City Council to support a safer retail environment for shop workers and customers.

“We’ve put a problem-solving plan in place which has increased neighbourhood officers patrolling around targeted areas at key times, improved response time to incidents, and underpinned our investigations into repeat offenders.

“Working closely with local businesses has enabled us to capture the impact shoplifting and crimes against retail workers have had on the community and secure punitive measures, including a series of criminal behaviour orders (CBOs), restricting offenders from entering a designated area. This has been an effective tool to prevent further crime.”

Darryl Stuart-Cole manages the Co-op store on Mauldeth Road in Withington appreciates the local neighbourhood team’s efforts and has noticed a significant improvement in recent months.

Stuart-Cole said: “Local police officers attend the store a couple times a week, and they always contact us or come straight to the store when we’ve logged an incident. It is reassuring to myself and colleagues in the store. It’s also reassuring to the customers in the store; they’ve noticed an increase in police presence around our store and neighbouring shops. More police around create a safer environment, and that’s a positive for the community.”

Police Constable Phil Williams has been the backbone for this project since it was begun and was recently awarded ‘Best Officer Problem Solver’ at GMP’s Problem Solving and Prevention Awards for his diligence, enthusiasm, and professionalism working as a caseworker on this initiative among others.

PC Williams explains how one of the cases unfolded: “We responded to a report of a repeat shoplifter and after gathering statements and CCTV evidence, we put a case file together. We identified the offender and found he was responsible for at least forty thefts from one shop within a quick succession.

“He was arrested, charged, and remanded in court where he received a suspended sentence and criminal behaviour order excluding him from this store, among other conditions. He was the first offender I’ve seen breach an order within a week by attending the same store and proceeding to steal from it.

“We arrested and charged him in connection with the theft and CBO breaches. He is now serving his original sentence in jail plus additional time for the new offences.”

Damien Myles (11/01/2000) of Wilmslow Road was first sentenced on 3rd Jan 2025 to a forty-week suspended prison sentence, equivalent to one week for each offence, to be served over two years. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the shop.

After breaching his CBO, on 6th February 2025, he was sentenced to serve the remainder of his suspended sentence behind bars. He was also accumulated additional time to be served on licence for new offences of assault, two counts of theft, and two breaches of a criminal behaviour order.