Independent retailers have backed a crime-fighting scheme trialled in the North East allowing shoplifters to be sent to court without being arrested.
Now others in the sector are hoping that this kind of process will be applied nationwide.
Northumbria Police is running Operation Canvas in Newcastle city centre in partnership with the NE1 Business Improvement District.
More than 30 retailers have signed up to the initiative, which allows them to file a crime report with CCTV evidence to officers, who can summon suspects straight to court.
The force said in January that 63 convictions had been secured since November 2023.
Courts have also handed out over 200 hours of unpaid work, in excess of £2,500 in fines and beyond £7,500 in compensation.Chief inspector Rob Bosson said: “Many repeat shoplifters often commit such offences because they believe the risk is low.
“But criminals who are known to Operation Canvas and continue to offend should expect to be put in front of a judge more often.”
The British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) said its latest research showed a sharp rise in crime, with 83% of members saying theft had worsened over the past year.
However, almost half of incidents were not reported to police, according to the survey, with less than one in five leading to prosecution.
BIRA chief executive Andrew Goodacre backed the Newcastle trial.
“It is great to see the police being so proactive in addressing the growing problem of retail crime,” he said.
“We know forces around the country are keen to support retailers and I urge all retailers to submit relevant CCTV coverage of criminals so that these people can be charged.”
However, many fine food purveyors have lost faith in the police tackling crime in their stores.
Frankie Dyer, managing director at Barbakan Delicatessen, said independent retailers in the Chorlton district of Manchester had “no support” despite “prolific shoplifting, frequent burglaries and high business rates”.
“It’s appalling,” she added. “Just like everything else at the moment: we’re on our own.”
The deli made headlines four years ago when it posted an incident on social media involving a would-be burglar attempting to break into its store during the early hours while staff were working inside.
Although this was captured on CCTV, Dyer said “nothing came of” attempts to catch the perpetrator.
“We don’t bother sending anything in [to police] anymore,” she told FFD this month. “It’s more useful that we have a Chorlton Traders WhatsApp group to alert each other.”
This article first appeared in the January-February 2026 issue of Fine Food Digest.
