Arrests made after spate of burglaries
A number of burglaries occurred at commercial premises across Northern Ireland just a matter of weeks after a dedicated retail crime awareness week.
The incidents took place at various retail premises in areas including Newcastle, Magherafelt and south Belfast.
While the incidents are distressing and disappointing for all concerned, a number of arrests have since been made with police pointing to their proactive approach in dealing with business crime.
From Monday 10th November to Sunday 16th November Safer Business Action Week was held, which saw officers across Northern Ireland conduct mobile patrols, carry out searches, made arrests and meet with members of the business community.
Dedicated patrols of officers engaged with members of the business and retail community issuing advice around Safeshop, an initiative which provides business owners with specialised skills to keep themselves and their premises safe.
In Belfast, there were 20 dedicated patrols and seven arrests made, while in Mid Ulster four arrests were made across the campaign week.
In spite of this proactive work by police, retail crime continues, with several incidents occurring across the region over the last week.
PSNI officers arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of burglary following a series of burglaries in Newcastle. It was reported that a male intruder entered commercial premises on Carrigs Road on Wednesday 3rd December and took a sum of cash before making off from the scene.
Police believe the suspect was also involved with a number of similar incidents in the Carrigs Road over recent weeks.
Meanwhile, police arrested three men in the Lisburn Road area of south Belfast in connection with a number of offences. A 33-year-old man, a 31-year-old and a 27-year-old were arrested on a host of charges, following a number of reports of thefts and drug-related offences from commercial and business premises on the Lisburn Road.
“We understand the distress this causes to the business owners, staff and local residents,” said Inspector Roisin Brown.
“We are aware of the negative impact the behaviour of these suspects has had in the local community. We hope these arrests will now put an end to the ongoing problem in the area, and allow people to go about their day-to-day business and operate their premises without concern.”
Detectives are also appealing for information following the report of a burglary in Magherafelt on Thursday 4th December.
It was reported that the owners of a commercial/business premises on Rainey Street arrived to find a window had been smashed and money stolen from the till. It is believed entry was gained by using a hammer.
Following the completion of Safer Business Action Week, Business Crime Lead Superintendent Allister Hagan said they had worked closely with their key stakeholders to identify offenders and tackle issues like anti-social behaviour and theft.
“It is extremely encouraging to see the business community across Northern Ireland engage with police to deliver positive results during Safer Business Action Week,” he said.
“Officers provided a visible policing presence, including pop-up clinics to educate and inform retailers and business owners around related criminal activity. We are extremely grateful for the unwavering support we received from the business community across NI.”
He added that while Safer Business Action Week had come to an end, it did not mean policing activity targeting business related crime would stop.
“We will continue to hold crime prevention initiatives and activities, as well as apprehend offenders and reduce the fear of crime across our towns and cities,” he said.
“We are aware there is underreporting of business related crime, so we would encourage retailers and business owners to contact police if they feel their staff are victims of criminal activity. If a member of staff has been either physically or verbally assaulted, please get in touch with police so these offences can be robustly investigated.
“We will be utilising the information obtained during Safer Business Action Week to best utilise our resources as we approach the busy festive period for retailers. We want to make our towns and cities a place to live, work, socialise and do business.
“We will continue to robustly tackle business crime and keep both retailers and consumers.”
