15 December 2025
A new scheme allowing suspected shoplifters to be sent to court without being arrested has been welcomed by Bira as a faster way to deliver justice and deter shop theft.
Under the initiative, retailers submit CCTV footage of alleged shoplifters directly to police, who then issue a postal court summons rather than making an arrest, with the aim of speeding up prosecutions and reducing the burden on frontline officers.
Under the initiative, retailers submit CCTV footage of alleged shoplifters directly to police, who then issue a postal court summons rather than making an arrest, with the aim of speeding up prosecutions and reducing the burden on frontline officers.
In Newcastle city centre, 29 retailers signed up to the scheme have provided clear CCTV evidence of offences, leading to 58 out of 60 suspects pleading guilty so far and resulting in £2,700 in fines and £7,700 in compensation being paid back to retailers.
The scheme is a joint venture between Northumbria Police and NE1 Business Improvement District, which represents around 1,300 retailers, and requires participating businesses to have high-quality CCTV capable of clearly showing offenders taking goods and leaving without paying.
The move comes amid a sharp rise in high street retail crime, with 83% of independent retailers say theft has worsened over the past year, with 47% of thefts not reported to police and only 16.7% leading to prosecution when reported, according to Bira's latest crime survey.
Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: “It is great to see the police being so proactive in addressing the growing problem of retail crime.
"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 accordingly.”
Chief Inspector Rob Bosson said: “It significantly reduced the amount of time it took to progress a shoplifting case to court, allowing us to deal with more cases at a quicker pace than before.
"Many repeat shoplifters often commit such offences because they believe the risk is low and that it’s worth the reward, but criminals who continue to offend should expect to be put in front of a judge more often and without us having to speak to them directly.”
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