A week-long campaign to prevent and detect retail crime has resulted in multiple successes across Sussex.
The inaugural Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) week was held nationally between 17-21 March, aimed to raise awareness of offences which impact shop keepers and workers.
Locally, policing teams conducted high visibility patrols to provide reassurance to retailers and to target offenders – particularly those who continually commit crime and cause harm to the business community.
These are some of the successful results from across the force recently, including during BCRP week:
31-year-old Jodie Dawkins, of The Goffs, Eastbourne, has been jailed for 41 weeks following a string of shoplifting offences in the town.
She was arrested and charged on Monday 17 March, and pleaded guilty to 12 counts of shoplifting.
In total, she stole £1,300 worth of goods including alcohol, clothing, protein bars, cosmetics, chocolate and condiments between November and March.
She was remanded in custody and sentenced at Brighton Magistrates’ Court the following day, where she was also given a three-year Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which prohibits her from entering certain shops in Eastbourne.
Chief Inspector Andy Nicklin, business crime lead for East Sussex, said:
“This is a great outcome for the businesses Dawkins targeted.
“Prolific offenders cause the most harm to businesses, and we understand the financial and personal impact of shoplifting on business owners, employees and the wider community.
“We are resolute in our efforts to effectively tackle business crime in the area, and we will continue to ensure that offenders are held accountable.
"Communities and businesses are encouraged to report online or via 101, and by calling 999 in an emergency.”
Ryan Breach has been jailed for two months for a string of offences at stores in Worthing.
He stole Lego and washing products from B&M in the Guildbourne Centre; cheese, ham and alcohol from Tesco Express in Dominion Road; and more washing products from Co-Op in Rowlands Road.
The offences occurred between Sunday 5 January and Sunday 23 March.
Breach, 35, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to five counts of theft and three counts of breaching his existing CBO, and was sentenced at Crawley Magistrates’ Court on Monday 24 March.
He was also ordered to pay compensation to the stores he stole from.
Elsewhere, the newly formed Arun Business Crime Reduction Partnership was launched to coincide the BCRP week.
The initiative is one of a number of actions partners are working on together to deliver quality streets across the district's town centres.
At Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday 21 March, Jamil Davies was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment – suspended for 12 months – after he admitted 11 counts of shoplifting across the city.
He stole hundreds of pounds worth of items from retailers including Oliver Bonas, Lulu Lemon and Russell & Bromley.
Davies, 33, of North Road, Brighton, was also given a five-year CBO, which prohibits him from entering any of the aforementioned shops in Sussex, or any Boots store in Sussex.
At the same court on the same day, 44-year-old Nicholas Lowe, of Oriental Place, Brighton, was given a 12-month community order after he admitted eight counts of breaching a Community Protection Notice and two public order offences.
He was also given a two-year CBO which prohibits him from entering New Road, East Street, North Street, Market Street, Church Street, Old Steine and Royal Pavilion Gardens in Brighton, among other requirements.
Joseph Marodza, of Kingston Road, Eastbourne, was arrested on Tuesday 11 March and charged with four counts of theft from stores in the town, including clothes from Next in The Crumbles and Easter egg chocolates from Co-Op in Cornfield Road.
The 31-year-old pleaded guilty to all offences and was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment – suspended for 24 months – and issued with a three-year CBO.
The order prohibits him from entering the Beacon Shopping Centre or any shop within, entering M&S in Terminus Road, entering Poundland in Terminus Road, and entering any Tesco Express, Sainsbury’s or Co-Op in the town.
His hearing was held at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on Friday 14 March.
A prolific shoplifter has been jailed following her latest crime spree.
Amy Jones was given a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) on 15 December 2023 in a bid to prevent further offending.
But she ignored the prohibitions and continued to steal items including meat, sweets and alcohol.
The stores she targeted were Co-Op in Tarring Road, Worthing; Co-Op in Rowlands Road, Worthing; Co-Op in North Road, Lancing; Asda in South Street, Lancing; and B&M in the Guildbourne Centre, Worthing.
Jones was arrested and charged with 10 counts of theft and 10 counts of breach of her CBO between 5 January and 14 February this year.
The 32-year-old, of Byron Road, Worthing, was remanded in custody to appear before Crawley Magistrates’ Court on 17 February, where she pleaded guilty to all offences.
She was further remanded for sentencing on 17 March at Lewes Crown Court, where she was sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment.
Her CBO was extended for a further three years, until 17 March 2028.
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