Two new schemes have been introduced by Essex Police to speed up the charging of shoplifters.

The force’s Rapid Video Response (RVR) team has expanded its remit to include shop theft incidents where a suspect has been arrested.

Sergeant Chris Denning, a member of the Business Crime Team—which works alongside officers and retailers to reduce vulnerability to theft—explained: “The arresting officer will obtain the details of a member of staff who knows what happened, can provide a witness statement and, hopefully, provide us with good quality CCTV footage of the incident and who has a device which can receive a secure video call from one of our RVR officers.”

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This process enables officers to gather witness accounts and CCTV footage in real time, securing what Denning described as “vital evidence” before it is forgotten, lost, or recorded over. At the same time, the arresting officer can escort the suspect to custody without delay.

In addition, named shop theft suspects can now be summonsed directly to magistrates’ court in certain circumstances, without the need for arrest or a formal interview.

Denning added: “To be able to do this, officers will need good quality CCTV footage of the offence taking place with a clear image of the offender or a suitable witness statement.”

However, he clarified that this approach wouldn’t be appropriate if the suspect is likely to contest the charge, has no fixed address, is a persistent offender, or where aggravating factors such as assault are involved.

“Through these two schemes, we aim to get suspects for shop theft before the courts more quickly, in some cases removing the need for them to be arrested before they are charged,” he said.

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