Macclesfield Central Police retail crime success

Macclesfield Local Policing Unit has been hard at work tackling retail crime in the town centre.

Figures for 2024 show their efforts are paying off with more incidents being reported and more crimes being successfully detected.

Retail crime across the country has come into stark focus in recent times and Macclesfield Central is one of many zeroing in on thieves for very good reason.

The Association of Convenience Stores reported recently that the UK’s local shops recorded 5.6million incidents of shop theft over the last year (2024), a growing number of them becoming violent in their attempt to steal.

Sergeant Matt Bassirat said:

“This is not something we are prepared to tolerate here in Macclesfield and my officers have been doing everything they can to tackle the issue and deter crime.

“We had a real push in tackling retail crime last year and it shows, with our Macclesfield Central team seeing the number of solved crimes rising from 24.5 per cent in 2023 to 52.2 per cent in 2024.

“We are determined to build on this in order to deter those who steal from shops and businesses. It’s not a victimless crime and the costly impact is immense, especially for repeat victims, which we know some shops sadly are.

“Theft also impacts on the staff who are often left shaken or worse, injured when they encounter a thief. They should be able to go to work without fear and we are doing what we can by working with them to reduce the risk and keep them safe from harm.”

Local officers have been working closely with the business community to increase confidence in reporting thefts and using, where possible, NICE Investigate to make it easier for staff to send us their CCTV images.

They’ve also been visiting shops to give them crime prevention advice and improve confidence in reporting a crime in action.

Sergeant Bassirat said:

“We will not stop in our efforts to tackle retail crime and would urge shops to report the thefts to us when it happens. It is vital its reported to us so we can find those responsible and make Macclesfield a safer place for those who live, visit and work in the town.”

Anyone who sees a theft should contact police on 101, or 999 in an emergency.