I will continue to deploy police officers covertly and to stamp out shoplifting in Blackpool

On 16th August 2024, officers were called to a store on Lytham Road after reports were made of a woman taking food items from inside. She was soon arrested and later charged with 11 counts of shoplifting over a period of two months.

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Stacey Swift, 39, of no fixed address, has since been given an 11 month prison sentence. She has also been given a Criminal Behaviour Order, which bans her from entering any Tesco or Tesco Express in the Blackpool area.

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Sergeant Paul Regan said: “This is another great example of partnership working between police and retail stores.

“Blackpool Neighbourhood officers have been working covertly for many months now and our results are only achievable with the support of the staff from the retail stores.

“I will continue to deploy officers covertly and work to stamp out shoplifting in Blackpool."

Operation Vulture is Lancashire Constabulary’s response to shoplifting across the county, backed by Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw and the Lancashire Partnership Against Crime (LANPAC).

The operation sees dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling, increasing their visibility in targeted areas and creating strong partnerships with retailers across the county to better share intelligence, get a deeper understanding of retail crime and identify more offenders.

If you have any information regarding retail crime in your area, please report this to us by calling 101 or reporting online. If the crime is in progress, call 999 immediately.