The police have launched a manhunt for three men who are accused of grabbing high-quality cooking utenses from the John Lewis department store in a series of raids.
The Dorset police have released CCTV images of three men with whom they want to speak after the alleged shoplift incidents between December and February this year.
Officers received four separate reports from the three men who entered John Lewis in the Poole Retail Park in Redlands, where security labels were removed and leave without paying.
It comes in the midst of an epidemic of theft from the British main streets, with the latest figures that demonstrate the theft of the stores by 22 percent in England and Wales in 2023-2024.
The men, largely dressed in dark jackets, glasses and hats, can be seen on CCTV images in the kitchen of the department store.
In the first incident, a frying pan was set at 3.20 on December 3 at 9.20 am.
A pan set was then stolen at 11.25 am on January 27, before the alleged thieves focused on a Le Creuset that was on 9.45 am on 7 February at 9.45 am.
Another cookware was finally admitted on 10 February at around 9.30 am.
The Dorset police have released CCTV images of three men with whom they want to speak after the alleged shoplift incidents between December and February this year
Officers received four separate reports from the three men who entered John Lewis in the Poole Retail Park in Redlands, Dorset
The men, largely dressed in dark jackets, glasses and hats, can be seen on CCTV images in the kitchen of the department store
The latest figures from the Crime Survey of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that only two percent of the shoplifting reported to the police resulted in a conviction
Police agent Robert Roaf, from the Dorset police, said: 'As part of my questions, I obtained CCTV images of three men that I would like to identify.
“I would ask everyone who recognizes them to contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dorset police online or by calling 101 and quoting incident number 55250014300.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 0800 555111 for anonymous information.
The latest figures for the crime investigation of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) showed that only two percent of the shoplifting that was reported to the police resulted in a conviction.
The crisis is the most acute in London, where the capital has registered a shocking 50 percent boom in shoplifting, an increase of 53,202 in 2023 to 80,041 last year.
About 55,000 crimes are reported nationally every day – with 38 stores that are aimed at every second, BRC data has been unveiled.
In the meantime, employees are increasingly being attacked by YOBs, with statistics that show that 45,000 violent incidents took place in the past year – more than 124 a day.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dorset police online or by calling 101 and quoting an incident number 55250014300
The thefts in the store in Poole Retail Park (photo) are amid an epidemic of theft from British high-streets, with the latest figures that demonstrate theft of the stores with 22 percent in England and Wales in 2023-2024
Retailers report unprecedented levels of violence against their staff, with the number of incidents with a weapon that more than doubles to 70 a day.
The police are trying to combat the alarming increase in shoplifting.
A national unit set up to tackle the scourge in Britain has identified more than 20 gangs and 200 criminals to feed the epidemic.
The gangs, many who are supposed to be in Eastern European according to safety sources, are responsible for millions of pounds every year and are also suspected of human trafficking and the operation of vulnerable people.
Operation Opal, an intelligence collection unit that was set up six months ago to discover the organized criminal groups behind shoplifting, has also identified 61 vehicles that the gangs use to relocate shoplifters and goods throughout the country.
The evidence of the unit has already led to dozens of arrests, with some persistent thieves behind bars and deported back to countries such as Romania.
John Lewis is contacted for comment.
