5 Charged After Portsmouth Shoplifting Operation

19 December 2016, 07:35

Five people have been charged after a police operation targeting shoplifting and other crimes in Portsmouth City Centre.

Officers spent all last week around Commercial Road and Cascades shopping centre.

One man's been jailed for three months.

Covert and uniformed police activity was carried out between Monday 5 December and Friday 9 December, following concerns around shoplifting and robbery offences, cycle crime, the selling of fake perfume and offences related to begging.

Hampshire Police said:

'We provided a visual deterrent to would-be offenders, recovered £857 worth of stolen goods, issued two fixed penalty notices (one for theft and one for possession of cannabis) and issued 80 verbal warnings regarding cycling on pavements and charged the following people with theft charges:

'Martin Ashley James, 35, of no fixed address, was charged with theft from a shop. He appeared at South East Hants Magistrates Court on December 6 and was sentenced to three months in prison.

'Jackson Dean Holt, 23, of Sedgley Close, Southsea, was charged with four counts of theft from a shop and going equipped for theft. He is due to appear at South East Hants Magistrates Court on December 22.

'Scott Russell Simon Devereaux, 37, of Milton Road, Portsmouth, was charged with four counts of theft from a shop. He is due to appear at South East Hants Magistrates Court on December 29.

'Aimee Fraser, 28, of Turner Road, Portsmouth, was charged with theft from a shop. She is due to appear at South East Hants Magistrates Court on January 3, 2017.

'Ronnie Morey, 38, of Mayo Close, Portsmouth, was charged with theft from a shop. He is due to appear at South East Hants Magistrates Court on January 3, 2017.

'We also took the opportunity to engage with homeless people sleeping rough and gave out crime prevention advice to the general public and spoke to 225 people specifically around cycle crime and the use of cycle locks and registering bikes on www.immobilise.com.'

Sergeant Richard Holland said:

“This is the third year that we have run a targeted operation in Portsmouth city centre during the festive season. Our operation has had a positive impact on the city centre and sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate theft from shops in Portsmouth.”