Hucknall shoplifters in court marks success for Business Crime Forum

Appearing before the courts were (clockwise from top left): Liam Worton, Luke Monte, James Pegram and Justin Lamb. Photos: Ashfield Police

On September 7, Liam Worton, aged 30, appeared at court charged with theft from a Co-Op store in Hucknall where he pleaded guilty and was remanded to prison pending a further court appearance on Septembr 27.

On the same date, James Pegram, aged 42, of Hucknall, appeared charged with two thefts from the B&M store in the town.

Pegram was already subject to a criminal behaviour order with conditions not to enter other stores he had targeted within Hucknall.

A request was subsequently made to the court to amend the order to prevent him entering B&M in the town.

Pegram is also on the Hucknall Business Crime Forum offender gallery for local stores working with the police and each other to tackle local shop thefts.

As a repeat offender, an application for a CBO has also been submitted for Worton, who has also been added to the offender gallery.

Justin Lamb, aged 26, and Luke Monte, aged 33, both from Hucknall, appeared in court on Monday, September 11, having been arrested over the weekend in relation to five thefts from a Co-op store in Selston and a further theft in Southwell.

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Both had previously targeted shops within Hucknall with Lamb having a CBO order banning him from the town centre shopping area.

Police have now submitted a request to add Selston to Lamb’s CBO banned areas and also applied for Monte to be banned from both Hucknall and Selston.

Posting on their Facebook page, Nottinghamshire Police’s Ashfield policing team said: “We have recently launched the local business crime forum at Hucknall.

“Initially, it was a soft launch without radios, but we are now fully up and running. We have seen offences decreasing in this time and positive outcomes increasing which we will share further on as we get more data to work with.

“By taking a problem-solving approach and seeking CBOs, the aim is to alter the behaviour of those individuals, hopefully to stop offending, but if not to stop them offending in Ashfield.

“Critics would argue CBOs just move a problem on, but while it is a progressive process we will continue to seek to expand CBOs of prolific offenders and, if need be, safeguard all of Ashfield from offenders.”