Thames Valley Police has achieved a 98 per cent increase in charges for shoplifting offences.

This has come after recent concerns voiced by residents over the rise of shoplifting in Reading and Bracknell.

The figures, covering the Thames Valley area, including Berkshire, were revealed by the force and welcomed by Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber.

Mr Barber said: "I’m pleased to see real progress in tackling shoplifting with an increase of over 90 per cent in charges for shoplifting offences across the Thames Valley."

He attributed this success to the Retail Crime Strategy, which was introduced at the start of the year.

The strategy aimed to combat shoplifting, retail crime, and violence towards shop workers.

It included the creation of a Business Crime Team within the force to identify prolific offenders and improve investigations.

Mr Barber added: "Combined with an increase in the visible presence of police officers and PCSOs in retail spaces through Operation Purchase, this operational focus on retail crime is clearly paying dividends."

However, he acknowledged that enforcement is only part of the response.

A key element of the strategy was to make reporting shoplifting offences easier for retailers.

To achieve this, Mr Barber funded the rollout of Disc, an information-sharing and reporting platform.

The app, which is free of charge to businesses in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Milton Keynes, allows retailers to report and access information about crime such as shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

More than 500 premises across the Thames Valley have already signed up to use the app.

Mr Barber said: "This is an excellent start but the more retailers that use the platform and feed in vital intelligence, the better the policing response will be."

He expressed hope that the latest figures would help restore confidence in the police response to retail crime.

The statistics, which the increase in charges for shoplifting offences from April 1, 2024, to September 6, 2024, compared with the same period in 2023, were shared at the start of Safer Business Action Week.

Community Policing Command, Chief Inspector Stewart Codling, said: "These statistics highlight the progress we are making in dealing with this issue, but our work doesn’t stop here.

"We will be focused on working with our partners and communities to create a hostile environment for those who commit retail crime."

Retailers interested in signing up to Disc should email Oliver Fletcher, Partnership Manager, Thames Valley Business Crime Reduction Partnership, at oliver.fletcher@thamesvalley.police.uk.