Petty thieves and organised gangs - on patrol with the retail crime team

Within the first half an hour of being out on patrol with police in Scarborough on a Friday afternoon, I watch as officers detain a wanted person in Superdrug.

They quickly stop the suspect as they try to leave the store before arresting them.

Within a couple of hours, a man linked to shoplifting offences has also been arrested.

The day of action is part of Operation Sun - North Yorkshire Police's attempt to reduce retail crime and anti-social behaviour in the seaside town.

Ch Insp Ryan Chapman is the officer in charge of Sun, and says shop thefts can be divided into two categories.

Many are committed by local petty criminals, often with addiction issues who are stealing to fund their own lifestyles.

Larger hauls and more valuable goods are the work of organised gangs who travel around the country targeting retailers before selling the items on.

"The organised crime element is not predominately North Yorkshire-based," says Ch Insp Chapman.

"The gangs are going up and down the country, using the road network, and hitting the different areas."

The nature of the goods stolen to order has also changed. Items are now taken to fund criminal networks, often ending up resold in illicit convenience stores and minimarts.

Their stock preferences mean chocolate has become a key target for thieves - traditionally meat, coffee and cheese were more likely to be swiped from shelves.

Chocolate is also rising in value - prices in supermarkets rose 18% in 2025, according to market researchers Kantar, mainly because of poor cocoa harvests in countries that produce it.

Larger stores have started keeping chocolate locked in anti-theft boxes due to reports that whole packs were being stolen in planned raids.

North Yorkshire Police works with Opal, the UK's national intelligence unit dedicated to tackling serious crime, which includes retail crime.

Ch Insp Chapman says their intelligence focuses on road networks, liaising with other forces to try and identify vehicles linked to shoplifting gangs and take action against them.

"We are understanding better the organised crime groups who are coming into the area, meaning we are now able to identify those offenders a lot quicker."

In the pedestrianised area of Scarborough town centre there have been 463 recorded incidents of shop theft in 2025-26 - more than in the larger York city centre, which had 395.

A decade ago, North Yorkshire Police charged or issued summons to court to suspects in 41% of their retail crime investigations, but in 2025-26 it was only in 29% of cases.

The national rate of shoplifting is 8.1 offences per 1,000 people, and in North Yorkshire it is lower than that at 4.8 incidents. Wooler Street and Huntriss Row in Scarborough are said to be hotspots for the crime.

Officers on patrol work with store managers, keeping up a regular dialogue on the movements of known offenders.

One manager of a large clothing shop tells them that it is not unusual for shoplifters to take hundreds of pounds' worth of goods in one go.

Criminal Behaviour Orders, which ban prolific thieves from entering specific premises, retail parks and areas, are imposed - breaches can result in a prison sentence.

Ch Insp Chapman says a growing number of them are being issued.

"We need to work with partner agencies and retailers to manage these suspects better in the community.

"The biggest feedback I get from retailers is frustration that the sentences are shorter than what they expect."

The force's largest population centre is York, which, with 9.8 incidents of shop theft per 1,000 people, has a higher rate than the national average.

The Street Rangers are on the front line of retail crime in York. In the 10 years since they were first funded by the York BID, they have recovered large amounts of stolen stock for retailers.

Out on patrol with them, I hear them respond to a radio call about a female shoplifter. Once she is stopped and searched, an insulated travel mug is found concealed in her bag.

The woman does not have a record for shop theft, so is asked to pay for the item and subsequently banned from the store.

Street Rangers head Scott Sinclair says he has seen thieves become more physical and carrying weapons - recalling an incident in which a woman was caught with two meat cleavers.

As his team do not have powers of arrest, safety is paramount.

"If I cannot detain the person, I will just take a step back and recover the stock."

One of the areas of concern for police is the impact violent shoplifting has on small businesses and female retail staff working alone.

Barnitts in York is an independent DIY store which has seen "a massive increase" in people stealing items such as tools, pliers, wire cutters and knives.

Department manager Sally Ashton says they have had to bring in measures such as CCTV and security tags.

"It is a challenge to deal with it and it is a fighting battle. Along with the cost of living and the increase in wages, its having a massive impact on businesses," she says.

Ashton, who has previously been assaulted by a shoplifter, believes people think "they can get away with it".

For Ch Insp Chapman, getting away with it is unacceptable. He has installed dedicated retail crime officers in the force's three command areas, and they use new technology to make it easier for people to report shop thefts.

"We are putting as much resource into it as possible and we will take positive action against anyone who steals."

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