'Shoplifting is out of control': Calls for greater police presence in Leighton Buzzard

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that stores including Poundland, Peacocks, Waitrose, Morrisons, Boots, and New Look are all regularly targeted, and called on Bedfordshire Police to take action.

The force confirmed that from April to June, 68 thefts from shops were reported in Leighton Buzzard, and told the LBO that officers have recently dealt with three prolific offenders.

The resident said: "Shoplifting in town is totally out of control. I do wonder what my taxes towards the police pay for – it's like it just doesn't matter anymore. Someone trying to stop these thieves will be seriously hurt soon – I wonder if police would do anything then?

"My daughter works in one of the shops – every other day they are targeted. Smaller stores can't afford security guards, they can't afford the theft of stock either. A police presence would help? There's CCTV, maybe arrest someone for committing a crime?"

Bedfordshire Police stated: "We deal with thefts from shops in a variety of ways, but we can confirm that two prolific offenders have been issued with Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO), with one moving out of the county. A third has received a Community Protection Notice (CPN) and a CBO has been applied for.

"We run a Shopwatch scheme in the town – principal shops have radios with which they can communicate between themselves and with the police and we hold regular meetings with them at which we offer advice and information. We also hold frequent engagements and stalls around the town centre.

"We liaise with the council on Operation Dadford, providing dedicated patrols on Tuesdays and Saturdays for extra support on market days. We are also planning enforcement action over the summer around thefts from shops."

A greater police presence was called for last August by the town's former MP, Andrew Selous, following a spate of crime in the town centre.

Police believed a gang was targeting businesses to steal cash registers following break-ins at Raffaela Hair Salon and Ocean Fish chip shop. Bianco Nero was also raided.

Commenting about the current situation, Sergeant Amy Ison, of Leighton Buzzard Community Policing team, said: “We take thefts from shops very seriously and would always encourage victims to report this crime. We liaise closely with shops in the town centre offering advice and support. We would also ask shoppers to be alert and report suspicious behaviour.”

A Waitrose spokeswoman, said: "Retail crime is a growing challenge across the entire retail sector, and the latest analysis by the British Retail Consortium found that incidents of shoplifting doubled in the last year to £1.8bn. We take retail crime seriously and have introduced a range of measures to deter thieves, and help keep our Partners and customers safe."

A Morrisons spokeswoman, said: "We take the security of our store and the safety of our colleagues and customers very seriously. We're working hard as a team, alongside local authorities, to deter retail crime within our store."

The LBO also contacted Boots, New Look, Peacocks, and Poundland but did not receive a response before our deadline.