Four people arrested as Lancashire Police crackdown on shoplifters in Preston city centre

Uniformed and plain-clothes officers patrolled the city centre this week as part of Operation Sabotage - Lancashire Police's response to tackling shoplifting.

As a result of the week's activity:

• Three people were arrested for shoplifting. One was also in breach of sex offender notification requirements. One has since been charged with theft from a shop.
• One person was arrested for breach of a community order.
• Ten people were stopped and searched. Three of these were positive and those people were given a community resolution.

Insp Dave Byrne, from Preston’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: "Shoplifters wreak misery on our local communities and their crimes are not victimless.

"We will not tolerate it in Preston and that's why we have stepped up patrols in hotspot areas where shoplifting is more prevalent.

"I would encourage businesses and members of the public to continue to report these crimes to us to ensure that we can tackle them robustly."