A bakery has been forced to remove items from open display after being targeted by shoplifters who 'just help themselves'.

A senior staff member at Greggs in Bolton Interchange told The Bolton News shoplifting was a 'big problem'.

The store used to put all of its breakfast rolls on display for people to choose and take to the counter, but is no longer able to do that because of thieves.

Senior staff member Lisa Barber said: “I have been here for nearly five years.

“It is a big problem. It has got worse, since lockdown.

“They either walk straight in and take what they want, or if there is a massive queue they will go to the part where we can’t see what is going on and take things.

“They just help themselves. They usually take a sandwich and a drink.

“It is the same people.

“I don’t know how much we are losing every week but it is getting worse.

“I think we need some of our own security.

“We report it to police.”

Read more: Operation Avro visits Bolton Interchange

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Read more: People jailed for shoplifting as offences rise

Police visited the interchange at the end of last week to coincide with the last day of the school term alongside officers from Transport for Greater Manchester as part of Operation Avro.

Officers attended between 4.30pm and 6.30pm before heading to smaller stations such as those in Whitefield and Radcliffe.

During the operation police  saw three people steal from the same Greggs store within around ten minutes of each other.

(Image: NQ)

A GMP spokesperson said: “One of the biggest things for us is being able to be seen, it deters quite a lot.

“We do just come here randomly and on an ad-hoc basis.”

Lucy Kennon, TfGM’s Head of Resilience and Business Continuity, said: “The TravelSafe Partnership is absolutely committed to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour on public transport, as well as ensuring that everyone who travels or works on our networks is safe, and feels safe, while doing so.

“We take a zero-tolerance approach to tackling crime and antisocial behaviour and are continuing to invest in more TravelSafe Support and Enforcement Officers to provide a more reassuring and visible presence on the Bee Network.

“We are aware of incidents of shoplifting at Bolton Interchange and TfGM will continue to work with our TravelSafe partners and the affected business to help mitigate these issues."

The police force in Bolton has a dedicated team to tackle shoplifting.

New officers are deployed around Bolton for a five-week period, before moving on to further operations or patches.

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

And as a result Bolton subsequently receives officers who are dedicated to tackling shoplifting, 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.