A 39 year-old man from Fareham has been jailed for a total of four months for shoplifting.

Between Wednesday 14 February and Saturday 24 February meat, coffee and other items totalling hundreds of pounds were stolen from the Co-Op on Highlands Road.

Following proactive work from Fareham’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, James Vincent Durber of Hayes Close in Fareham was charged with:

  • Eight counts of theft by shoplifting.
  • One count of using threatening, abusive or insulting words to cause harassment, alarm, or distress. This offence related to a shop worker at the store.

He was remanded to appear at Portsmouth Magistrates Court today (Monday 26 February) where he admitted the offences. He was jailed for twelve weeks for the shoplifting offences and a further four weeks for the offence against the shop worker.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Team puts victims first by responding to and investigating thefts from shops, targeting shoplifters, and we will be relentlessly pursuing those that are abusive or violent to staff or who are repeat offenders.

District Commander, Chief Inspector Chris Spellerberg said: “Shoplifting is not a victimless offence. We recognise that repeat shoplifting in particular, creates an environment of fear for many retail workers. As a result they may feel unsafe and unprotected in their own workplaces. In addition store owners losing products to thieves, means that they not only lose the profit margin, but the entire value of the product. This in turn will impact prices for consumers.

“The Neighbourhood Policing Team is continuing to focus on retail crime across the district – in areas like Portchester, Locks Heath, and Fareham itself – so that we can address the concerns of the local community and retailers that serve them”.

To help protect your business:

  • Make sure staff are able to use any appropriate security equipment such as panic alarms.
  • Make sure CCTV cameras are in good working order, the position provides the best possible coverage and they are serviced annually.
  • Remind staff to report any suspicious activity to the manager or the police. Details should also be recorded and include: date, time, description of person.
  • Consider replacing high value items with placeholder containers.

The community are our eyes and ears and we encourage you to report all incidents as soon as you are able to by calling 101 if it’s not an emergency.

You can also report suspicious activity online by visiting our website: https://www.hampshire.police.uk – If a crime is in progress, always call 999.

Alternatively, you can report suspicious activity or the sale of stolen items by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org