Crackdown on Christmas crimes

Retailers are being urged to “report every crime” as the fight against shoplifting steps up with the festive trading season underway.

In the past three months shoplifting accounted for 85.4% of reported town centre crimes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight with Lego, health and beauty products, alcohol and confectionary some of the most targeted items.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones set retail crime as a key priority for the Constabulary with funding provided for Business Crime Partnership’s including the Navigator programme and UKPAC digital reporting app, which work alongside policing strategies.

The retail crime team in Havant are running proactive operations and hosted Deputy PCC Alex Rennie to see the impact town centre offences are having on stores in the area and how they are dealing with it.

Through co-ordinated action with retailers and the local community, officers have caught prolific shoplifters and are working on securing Criminal Behaviour Orders to prevent further offending.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Alex Rennie, said: “Anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and abuse of retail workers are a scourge on our town centres.

“These offences hit hardworking businesses, shop staff and local communities, but every report strengthens the ability to catch offenders, target resources and make our town centres safer.

“The UKPAC app, introduced by Donna Jones, is removing barriers to reporting crime, making it quicker and easier to file reports, whilst giving police added intelligence to identify offenders, build cases and take action.

“Our charge rates for shoplifting and other retail crimes are going up in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but there is always more to be done.

“Prolific shoplifters have complex needs, so we are also working towards long-term solutions that balance criminal justice with rehabilitation and addressing the underlying causes.”

UKPAC is a digital crime reporting app for retailers, launched in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight by Donna Jones in June 2025.

Since then, almost 150 prolific offenders have been charged with over 62 years of custodial sentences handed out, thanks to information submitted via the app which has more than 1,500 users in the two counties.

Businesses across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight can still sign up for 12-months free membership to UKPAC until the end of November.

Details about UKPAC can be found at uk-pac.com