Man arrested by plain-clothes officers in Skipton retail crime operation

Undercover police in Skipton have carried out covert deployments to protect retail staff and shoppers in the run-up to Christmas.

During an operation in the town centre yesterday (Thursday, 12 December), a number of officers in plain clothes patrolled busy shopping areas and carried out targeted stop-and-searches of suspected criminals.

One man was arrested on suspicion of theft after leaving a shop on Newmarket Street and heading for the bus station.

The suspect, a local man in his 50s, was found with a number of items in his possession and taken into custody.

He has been charged with theft and is due to appear before Skipton Magistrates’ Court at a date in the near future.

The deployments were led by Craven Neighbourhood Policing Team, with similar operations taking place in other areas across the force.

Craven Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Mohammed Ikhlaq said: “We proactively tackle shoplifting all year round and work closely with retailers in Craven to prevent crime.

“Plain clothes operations like these allow us to monitor suspects and use the element of surprise to target offenders before they even see us.

“It’s one of many ways we’re keeping shoppers, businesses and their staff safe as town centres get busier on the run-up to Christmas.”

The force made 819 arrests for retail theft in 2024 – an average of more than 15 a week.

Arrests have risen by almost 40% since 2021, when there were 590 shoplifting arrests across the force.

A total of 568 suspects were arrested in 2022 and 788 in 2023.

The increase in arrests reflects several new measures the force has introduced to tackle retail crime.

Each command within North Yorkshire Police now has dedicated retail crime officers, resulting in higher arrest rates and a marked improvement in positive outcomes.

For shop thefts where the offender is no longer present, North Yorkshire Police has also recently introduced NICE Investigate - a system that allows retailers to upload CCTV footage directly.

This streamlines evidence collection, which can help speed up investigations and prosecutions.