A day on the front line of the battle against shoplifting

Statistics show Peterborough's shoplifting rate is higher than the national average. The BBC spent a day with police officers tackling retail crime in the city.

It's just after 09:00 BST on a Monday morning and at a police station in Peterborough's Thorpe Wood, news of an arrest comes in.

A suspect wanted for 10 shoplifting offences has been picked up near a shopping centre in the city and is being brought into the custody suite.

For Sgt Chris Arnold from the city centre neighbourhood policing team, it's a positive result.

"It's hugely important. Him outstanding for 10 crimes has a massive impact on our retail community," he says.

"No doubt had we not caught up with him this morning, we'll be looking at another few offences and every day that passes, just more and more shoplifting crime."

Arnold explains that arresting suspects is not without risk.

"Certainly with a lot of our retail offenders [they are] are stealing in order to fund their drug habit so obviously that provides a certain extra hazard," he says.

"Previously my colleague made an arrest and the suspect pulled out a needle and he had to press his alarm for some further officers to support him."

It's 10:30 now, and officers receive intelligence that another prolific shoplifter is believed to be sleeping rough in a tent behind houses on a modern housing estate outside the city centre.

He's wanted for nine shoplifting charges and a burglary offence.

We go to find where he's living. Officers explain why they're here, arresting him and giving him time to get dressed.

He is interviewed that day and later appears at court where he is given a 26-week custodial sentence for burglary and shoplifting offences.

Before lunch, Arnold calls in on Peterborough Positive, part of the business improvement district organisation that it is working with to combat retail crime.

Business crime and safety liaison officer Emma Lilley explains how a mobile phone app is helping retailers report crimes more quickly and send in witness statements.

"It means retailers are giving the police the complete package to start their investigations," she says.

"We're trying and change the perception that retail crime is this victimless crime – it's not.

"When officers get a same-day arrest when they've managed to give someone a ban from the city centre, that's all positive news."

Statistics from Police UK show that from September 2025 to August 2026, there were 587 shoplifting offences in Peterborough city centre.

In 2025-26, there were 10.8 incidents per 1,000 people across the wider Peterborough City Council area, above the national rate of 8.1 per 1,000.

Officers then make a call at City News in Westgate at the heart of the city.

Shop owner Tika Soni is no stranger to retail crime. She recently chased a shoplifter who was making off with soft drinks and ice creams worth more than £40.

When she and a customer confronted them in the street, they dropped the goods and fled.

She accepts that in doing so, she may have put herself in danger.

"I wasn't frightened," she says.

"We do see a lot of it here, but yes, it just happens all the time so you get used to it. We were lucky he was just on his own."

Retail crime makes her angry, and she wants stiffer penalties.

"The police are really doing their job but it is just the justice system that is failing us. It really needs to be stricter," she says.

"I think they, the shoplifters, think 'Oh, nothing's going to get done about it.'"

In response, the Ministry of Justice says it is getting results in the fight against retail crime.

"Shop theft is down 4% on last year and charges are up 19%," says a spokesperson.

"We are giving police the powers they need to crack down on perpetrators, including scrapping the £200 rule that lets too many offenders off the hook and making the assault of a retail worker a standalone offence."

Ch Insp Steve Ashton admits there is frustration among police that some individuals are causing "high harm" to communities.

But he says the force is working hard with the community and businesses to identify them and bring them to court.

"The detection rate's gone up and there's been a gradual trend in that increase, which means that we're catching more shoplifters and we're doing more for the businesses in Peterborough," he says.

PCSO Matt Dear spends many hours in the city and understands that some of those arrested do have issues, but says that doesn't negate what they've done.

"I often entirely understand how they've got where they have, but that still doesn't excuse the choices and decisions that they've made," he says.

The first suspect arrested by officers is later released under guidelines relating to the Sentencing Act.

He will face further charges and is due to appear in court before the end of the year.

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