Police were in Bolton town centre investigating a report of shoplifting this afternoon.

Officers were on Howell Croft North as part of their crackdown on retail crime on the high streets in Bolton.

An officer confirmed that they were making enquiries into shoplifting.

As part of the crackdown, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) team deploy newly recruited officers, supported by senior officers, into Bolton town centre over the last few months to help support security staff and identify theft hotspots.

Earlier this year police said that shoplifting is an issue in the town centre, as it is across the country.

Since officers set up a dedicated taskforce to tackle the crime, there has been a large number of arrests made for shoplifting, vehicle crime, and burglaries across the borough.

The Bolton News: Read some of our top stories below:

This follows on from 2023’s successes, which saw countless arrests and charges for shoplifting and retail-related crimes.

The Bolton shoplifting team – which is comprised of new recruits being taught by seasoned officers – has seen the younger officers deployed around Bolton for a five-week period, before moving on to further operations or patches.

The new officers are able to see through a crime from arrest to charge and sentencing, helping them learn the basics of policing while tackling shoplifters.

The Bolton News: Bolton subsequently receives dedicated shoplifting officers, while the force benefits from officers being trained and tutored to a high crime-tackling standard.

The officers work closely with local stores and will use a radio that connects them to store security in the area they are patrolling, in order to be able to respond as quickly as possible.

The work is further backed by a retail crime Single Point of Contact for the district, who will liaise with stores, GMP’s crime prevention team, and the force’s retail crime lead.

Last month shop workers in Bolton said they have faced abuse, and that shoplifting was rife.

The Bolton News spoke to Zara Pinfold, manager at The A World CIC on Victoria Square, and her daughter, Kyra, about shoplifting last August. 

One stolen item was Zara's granddaughter's pram.

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