Officers cracking down on shoplifting and antisocial behaviour in Grimsby town centre have secured a landmark Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) against one of the town’s most prolific offenders.
The two year order was imposed on 22-year-old Jae Hurst of St Ann’s Avenue, Grimsby, at Grimsby and Cleethorpes Magistrates Court on Tuesday, July 23.
As a result he’s now banned from:
- Entering, attempting to enter or remaining in Freshney Place Shopping Centre, including the Market Hall, car parks, Victoria Street, Grimsby or any land owned by Freshney Place.
- Remaining in any premises – retail or otherwise – if asked to leave by the owner, tenant, an employee or any other authorised person in North East Lincolnshire.
- Entering any Tesco or Tesco Extra in North East Lincolnshire
- Entering Today’s Local, Carr Lane, Cleethorpes.
Sergeant Lorraine Paterson, from the Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We are keeping up the pressure on those who think it’s acceptable to steal from shops or behave antisocially in our town centre and the surrounding area.
“Our message to them is it’s not acceptable and we will continue to target them, making arrests, putting suspected offenders before the courts and working with retailers and other agencies to tackle the underlying issues.
“Securing this order against Jae Hurst is our latest success story and something we hope to replicate with other offenders in the future.”
Other initiatives being developed include working with Freshney Place and North East Lincolnshire Council to set up Grimsby Retailers in Partnership, a new scheme that will allow them to share information.
Sgt Paterson added: “This is a secure system that allows them to send alerts to each other when prolific offenders are seen in the area, so they can stop them coming into their premises and prevent shop thefts before they can happen.
“We have already got 11 firms signed up and there’s still time for others to get involved.
“They can also help each other identify the people committing crime in the area and pass that information on to us.
“I’d like to thank all the retailers that are working with us. By working together we’re making a real impact, as with offences of this kind a small number of people are usually responsible for multiple incidents.”
We’re also continuing to work with the Town Centre Action Group, the council, health services and community groups to find a long term, sustainable solution to the problem as this isn’t something that can be done just by making arrests.
Sgt Paterson said: “We want to continue to support our local retailers and business owners in ensuring that Grimsby town centre, Freeman Street and the nearby shops and services are somewhere everyone can go and shop, relax and enjoy themselves.
“The majority of those who steal from shops are doing so to feed a drug habit. They’re also vulnerable, with complex lifestyles and it’s important that all of us come together to offer them the support they need to make more positive choices.
“Only by doing this can we tackle the issues which have caused them commit these offences in the first place and find a long-term solution to the concerns of retailers and shoppers.”
Contact Gi Grimsby
Email us: news@gi-media.co.uk
Follows us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest local stories, breaking news and to join the conversation