Category Archives: Victimless Crimes

5573401

On Monday, April 3rd, President Donald J. Trump declared this week to be National Crime Victims Rights Week to bring awareness to the negative sometimes fatal impact crime has in our communities.

In many cities and towns across the country, criminal activity and violence has steadily risen over the past several years. It seems that in this day and age, you cannot watch the local news without hearing several tragic stories of shootings, robberies and assaults affecting your neighbors and friends.

President Trump recognizes that along with every crime committed there is a victim an innocent person whose life has been permanently scarred.

I am pleased that this Administration is bringing attention to the victims of crime, along with taking proactive steps to prevent such crimes.

Just a few weeks ago, national news broke on how two illegal aliens from Central America raped a 14 year-old young girl in the boys bathroom of a public high school in Rockville, Maryland. These two young men, Henry Sanchez-Millian, an 18-year-old from Guatemala, and Jose Mantano, a 17-year-old from El Salvador, came across the southern border last year as unaccompanied minors, and were released under Obama Administration policies to join relatives in Maryland.

Just a few hours away in Bedford County, Virginia, three male illegal aliens affiliated with the extremely violent MS-13 Salvadoran gang, were charged last week with second-degree murder for the death of 17-year-old high school senior Raymond Wood.

One of the young men, Jose Corea-Ventura, was already wanted in connection with the murder of a young man in Montgomery County, Maryland.

Last week Marco Perez-Geronimo, another illegal alien, was arrested on first-degree murder charges for allegedly beating his girlfriend to death in January. Had he been deported, this young woman would be alive today.

The governments failure to secure our border and deport criminal aliens has a direct impact on the safety of Americans. In too many cases, criminal aliens have simply not been deported because their home country refuses to take them back. This is absolutely unacceptable.

President Trump addressed this issue in one of his first Executive Orders by instructing the State Department to withhold the issuance of new visitor visas for those from countries that do not take back their criminal alien citizens.

My bill, H.R. 82, The Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act, would codify the Presidents actions into law and also withhold foreign aid from countries that refuse to take back their citizens. This common-sense bill would ensure that countries benefiting from the goodwill of America hold up their end of the bargain to take back their criminal aliens.

National Crime Victims Rights Week is an opportunity to highlight what happens when our immigration laws are not enforced, including the harmful policies of sanctuary cities.

For the sake of these victims and their family members, it is crucial that we secure our border, deport criminal aliens and assist the victims of crimes.

I support President Trump in his efforts to achieve these goals, and specifically applaud him for establishing a special office to assist victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens. The Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement (VOICE) will help those harmed by criminal aliens and demonstrates that failed immigration enforcement is not a victimless crime.

True to the offices name, these individuals will finally have a voice with which to tell their stories. There are many who, in the name of political correctness, seek to silence these victims. But there is too much at stake in our great nation for that to let them succeed.

It is my hope that more legislators, from both sides of the aisle, will also support victims of crimes committed by criminal aliens and accurately diagnose the root of the problem, which is failed immigration enforcement. We should all be thankful that we have a President willing to stand up for all Americans.

Congressman Brian Babin serves the people of Texass 36th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Read the original post:

Failed Immigration Enforcement Leads To Tragedy | The Daily Caller - Daily Caller

On Wednesday, April 5, 2017, LAPD Valley Bureau Commander Jorge Rodriguez, center, speaks during a press conference at L.A. City Hall about a $50,000 reward being offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in residential burglaries, particularly knock-knock burglaries that have recently plagued the San Fernando Valley. Rodriguez is flanked by LAPD Lt. Tim Torsney of the Devonshire Division, left, and L.A. Councilman Mitch Englander, right. Photo by Elizabeth Chou, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG

Los Angeles City Councilman Mitchell Englander is hoping to provide extra incentive to pawnbrokers and others who may be able to help authorities bring down knock-knockburglary rings that target upscale homes in the San Fernando Valley and other parts of the city.

Englander on Wednesday introduced a motion, seconded by Councilman Bob Blumenfield, calling for a $50,000 reward to be offered for information to help authorities identify, arrest and convict people responsible for this series of knock-knock burglaries.

Such burglaries have been a growing epidemic throughout the San Fernando Valley and throughout the city of Los Angeles, Englander said during a news conference Wednesday, prior to making the motion.

The proposed reward is aimed at the public, particularly pawnshop owners and employees, who are the first people who are going to know, particularly when they get repeat offenders who are bringing in stolen merchandise, Englander said.

These burglaries are not victimless crimes, he said, adding that some of the stolen jewelry include family heirlooms that cannot be replaced.

RELATED STORY: LAPD arrests 3 suspects in Valley knock knock burglaries

While the motion was introduced amid a spate of knock-knock style burglaries, Englander noted the reward is actually being offered to anyone with a tip about any type of residential burglary, no matter the method, as it is sometimes difficult to know what method a burglar used.

The motion, which is expected to be voted on next week, needs City Council approval before the reward can be offered.

In February, the Los Angeles Police Department launched a San Fernando Valley Knock Knock Burglary Task Force to address the problem.

News of the task force came amid a rash of high profile break-ins, including at the Tarzana home of Los Angeles Lakers player Nick Young and the Sherman Oaks residence of Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig.

According to the LAPD, the suspects work in teams of three or four. One person knocks on the door of a home and if no one answers, they will signal to the others, who try to enter from a side or rear entrance of the home.

LAPD officials said Wednesday the alleged rings appear to be based mostly in South Los Angeles, with the burglars using more sophisticated methods than in the past.

Advertisement

The burglars have been operating in the Valley for some time, and they have really taken the game to the next level from the beginning of this year, Valley Bureau Commander Jorge Rodriguez said.

The burglars are monitoring when people typically leave their homes, as well as driving cars and wearing clothes that help them blend into the neighborhood, according to LAPD officials.

Among the hardest hit areas are Porter Ranch, Chatsworth and Granada Hills, Devonshire Division Lt. Tim Torsney said.

RELATED STORY: Woodland Hills neighborhood plagued by burglars is fighting back with tech

The Devonshire Division, which patrols those communities, has recorded a spike in burglaries that goes against the trend in most of the Valley. As of March 25, 336 burglaries were reported, up from 249 burglaries from the same time last year, for the area alone, according to figures released by the LAPD.

Out of the additional 87 burglaries this year, the majority appear to have been committed using knock-knock methods, Devonshire Division Capt. Kathleen Burns said.

LAPD figures also show burglaries in the Van Nuys Division are up 31 percent from last year.

Torsney noted police have made some inroads on knock-knock burglary crimes.

Within the last two months weve made significant arrests of multiple crews with no affiliation with one another, which has resulted in a significant decrease over the last two weeks in the area, Torsney said.

Even with the improvements, Englander said the job is not done.

The arrests are happening, but the crimes are not stopping, he said.

See the rest here:

LA councilman targets 'knock-knock' burglars with $50,000 reward - LA Daily News

Comments(0)

A judge spelled out the hideous depths of depravity and suffering contained in child pornography as he sentenced a 30 year old for possessing sick images.

Robert King sobbed as the judge described images of "very young children, crying in pain and scared" as they were being raped by adult men.

"That is what you've been viewing," Judge Robert Linford told King, of Courtlands, Langford Budville, near Wellington.

"That's what you made other people view when they examined your computer."

Taunton Crown Court heard that King initially denied having illegal material on his computer when police visited his home as a result of a tip-off.

He later admitted a charge of making indecent images of children, possession of extreme pornography and possession of prohibited images of children.

He has been spared jail.

READ: Minehead paedophile doctor, 96, loses appeal against sentence on grounds of 'extreme old age'

Prosecutor William Hunter said: "Police seized three devices, a laptop and two computers and went on to find a number of images of child abuse,"

There were 49 category A images and nine movies, 261 category B images and 2,967 category C images and two movies.

They also found extreme pornographic images and pseudo-photographs of children.

"It was also clear from his search history that he had been carrying out online searches for such material," Mr Hunter said.

"Some of the children were estimated to be very young around three or four years old, and clearly distressed at what was happening to them."

MORE: Watch the amazing moment a walker finds missing man down hole in woodland

When arrested by police, King said he had been looking at the images out of curiosity.

Defending, Harry Ahuja said his client had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

He said he had gone on to seek help from the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, which works with child sex offenders and encourages them to seek therapy before being arrested.

When Judge Robert Linford said he was not looking to send King to prison, the defendant burst into tears in the dock.

"You pleaded guilty as early as you could and you have sought help for your actions," the judge told him.

"You had a large amount of hideous images and you understand that these are not victimless crimes. For every photograph you look at of a child being raped, there is a child that has been raped.

"And those are photographs that some poor police office has to trawl through.

"When someone is apprehended for offending like this for the very first time, that is when they should be offered the opportunity to change. But make no mistake, if you come back to court for accessing this sort of filth again, you will go to prison for a very long time indeed."

MORE: Soldier sentenced to life for murdering mother of his son

King was sentenced to a three year community order and will have to undertake the Thames Valley Sex Offender Programme, which is designed to explore and address the thoughts, feelings and beliefs underpinning internet sex offending. He was also made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order.

King was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work, 45 days of rehabilitation activity and pay costs of 400.

Continued here:

Robert King sobs as he's spared jail for possessing thousands of images of child abuse - Somerset Live

Kevin Schembri Orland Monday, 3 April 2017, 11:49 Last update: about 14 hours ago

Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela stressed the impact of environmental crime on society, and highlighted the need for it to be given a higher priority internationally.

He was addressing a meeting of the EnviCrimeNet - a panel of European experts steering committee holding a meeting here in Malta.

"Despite the significant impact on the environment and human health, environmental crime has a history of being considered a victimless crime, and therefore a low priority," Minister Abela said

"Further compounding this issue is that environmental crime encompasses a wide range of offences which wilfully damage the environment and are usually inked to other serious offences like corruption, terrorism, fraud and money laundering. The damaged caused is irreparable and can cause diseases or death, climate change and damage to the food chain."

"Despite serious consequences of such crime, its seriousness is still not fully taken into considerations. Environmental crimes are among the most profitable criminal activity and have a significant impact on society."

"Such profits could be equivalent to profits from illegal drug trafficking."

Minister Carmelo Abela said that the meeting occurring in Malta shows that the issue of environmental crimes should be raised higher on the agenda at the European level. "It is a European issue, and it is important that there be more cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the different countries."

Turning to the local scene, he said, about hunting: "we need to guarantee that laws are observed, so if the hunting season is open for only certain birds, then this must be respected, and part the role of the ALE is to enforce these things. The ALE has its staff and it is good to keep strengthening it. "

"Their primary focus is to ensure that the laws are respected. He said that when there was a major breach, the government had closed the season in the past. If the laws are not observed, not only will the police take steps against those who breach it, but government will consider, if it feels the need, close the season if there is rampant abuse."

Asked about environment crimes and corruption, he said more statistics need to be gathered and more research needs to occur. He said that what came out from the presentation delivered by the Chairperson of the Steering group is that one major concern is that an element of corruption could be linked to environmental crimes.

Roel Willekens, chair of EnviCrimeNet said that environmental crime is not a victimless crime. He stressed the need for cooperation between countries and law enforcement agencies.

Quoting an Interpol report, he said that 15 of 34 European countries surveyed said environmental crime was closely linked to corruption. Nine of the 34 European countries said that it was linked to drug trafficking.

Go here to see the original:

'Tackling environmental crime must be given a higher priority ... - Malta Independent Online

A MAN who went on the run to avoid justice has been jailed for more than three years after being caught distributing thousands of indecent images of children.

Stephen Carruthers, 44, has today been sentenced to three years and eight months at Carlisle Crown Court for possessing and distributing over 6,000 indecent images of children.

He was also made subject to a Sexual Harm Prevention Order and ordered to sign the sex offenders register for life.

In 2014 Stephen Carruthers was arrested at his home in Great Langdale, Cumbria and charged with possessing approximately 5,000 indecent images of children, before he fled the country for Europe.

In January 2017 he was involved in a road traffic accident in France leading the French authorities to carry out background checks on him. They found that he was wanted in the UK.

When they seized his laptop they found over 1,000 indecent images of children.

Victoria Atkinson, Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West said: Stephen Carruthers was arrested three years ago at his home in Cumbria for possessing a huge amount of indecent images of children.

"He then skipped bail, fled the country, adopted a new identity and committed further offences whilst on the run.

The CPS worked with the French authorities to extradite him back to the UK on a European Arrest Warrant to face both the original charges and to be further charged in relation to the images found on his laptop in France.

"The prosecution has presented a strong case to the court which has resulted in him today receiving a custodial sentence.

"Viewing and downloading indecent images of children is not a victimless crime. It contributes to the cycle of harm suffered by victims of child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Detective Sergeant James Bailey, Digital Media Investigation Unit, said: I hope that this case will act as a deterrent to those who believe that they can get away with any form of child abuse.

Carruthers attempted to evade justice by going on the run for almost three years. Following his capture in France, his new devices were interrogated and we found further evidence of him making indecent images even when on the run.

His level and rate of offending makes his prison sentence very much deserved.

We will continue to work each day to make Cumbria safer by proactively targeting and prosecuting those who abuse children.

We encourage anyone who has any suspicions of any sort of abuse to contact us so we can investigate.

An NSPCC spokesperson said: Carruthers went to extreme lengths to evade justice but, thankfully, his days on the run are at end.

His horrifying crimes will have had a devastating effect on his young victims and we hope they have received all possible support to rebuild their lives.

Behind every image of abuse is a vulnerable child who will need help to recover and the NSPCC is calling for a specialist digital child abuse unit in every police force, trained to deal with sexual and other online offences against children.

Anyone with concerns about a child can contact our Helpline on 0808 8005000, children can contact Childline on 0800 1111.

Here is the original post:

Paedophile jailed after being caught distributing thousands of ... - NW Evening Mail

"I am an enemy of god, enemy of religion and enemy of caste. But I am not an enemy of humans who believe in humanity."

H Farook, an ex-Muslim atheist from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, made the above mentioned Facebook post on 13 March. It was enough provocation for Islamic fundamentalists to murder him and dump his body near a sewer.

Back in October 2016 HuffPost blogger Narayani Syal Anand posed a question to Mona Eltahawy at 'The Bridge' event in New Delhi; Anand asked whether it was fair to label legit criticism of regressive Islamic edicts as "Islamophobia". While Eltahawy maintained it wasn't, she was quick to add that any critique of Islam in a Hindu majority country would be akin to "punching down", and therefore must be avoided (listen here). This dubious, morally repugnant idea spawned from post modernist moral relativism at the end of the last century, has now spread like drug-resistant gonorrhoea throughout the mainstream Left. Every illiberal dogma is now put through the prism of "power structures" to see where it fits into the Left's identity politics.

Disingenuous moral relativists the world over are using this social justice term to give a free pass to a wide range of barbaric, illiberal customs. So long as it is practiced within minority communities in secular democracies, any criticism of it has become taboo.

When Somali-born women's rights activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali raised awareness about female genital mutilation and "honour" killings that were rampant within Muslim immigrant enclaves in Netherlands, some of her fiercest opponents were Dutch Leftists, who claimed that calling out the proverbial elephant in the living room was tantamount to bigotry (the non-word "Islamophobia" wasn't coined back then).

With the resurgence of the far-right across the worldfrom Trumpism to Hindutva fascismcriticising Islam within liberal-Left circles has become further off-limits. At a time when gau rakshak lynch mobs, with the Hindutva government's tacit approval, are prowling the streets in India, Leftists consider any criticism of Islam to be a point in favour of majoritarianism on the political scorecard. With the result, victims of Islamic dogmatism such as Shirin Dalvi and H Farook are left to fend for themselves.

In their zeal to fight the Right, Liberals and Leftists have not only abandoned dissenters within minorities, but have started aligning with far-Right Islamists, as was the comical case when Linda Sarsour (pro-Sharia apologist of Saudi male guardianship laws) was made co-chair of a feminist march in Washington.

Muslim reformers and apostates are the worst casualties of the Left's apartheid. These folks who are at the greatest peril of being murdered for victimless "crimes" such as blasphemy, are now being abandoned at the altar of Leftist identity politics, to be slaughtered by Islamist thugs who have mysteriously become pseudo-victims of the same majoritarianism that they gleefully perpetuate on dissenters within their own communities. In many ways, a little bit of H Farook's blood is on the regressive Left's hands as well.

Kashmir Winter Wonderland

Original post:

Why The Liberal Left Is Partly Responsible For The Murder Of Atheist H Farook - Huffington Post India

A 13-year-old girl was among those arrested in a shoplifting blitz in the Mearns.

The teenager, and a 16-year-old boy, were caught by police in Stonehaven during a four-day operation which also led to arrests in Laurencekirk.

In total, six people have been charged in the area following the latest phase of an initiative to tackle acquisitive crime.

High-profile patrols were carried out in Stonehaven and Laurencekirk focused on targeting people wanted on warrant for acquisitive crime offences, intelligence gathering, and working alongside local businesses with crime prevention advice.

Police Scotland said a 58-year-old man was charged in relation to seven shopliftings, six in Stonehaven.

A 16-year-old boy and 19-year-old youth were charged in relation to shoplifting in Laurencekirk.

A 16-year-old boy and 13-year-old girl were charged in relation to shoplifting in Stonehaven and a 27-year-old man over an alleged theft in Laurencekirk.

The operation was carried out in support of the recently developed Aberdeenshire Retail Crime initiative in Stonehaven in which officers work with retailers such as the Co-Op and Charles Michies Chemist, as well as with new local businesses to promote crime reduction opportunities.

PC Ashleigh Connon, from the Kincardine and Mearns Community Policing Team and who organised the operation said: This initiative allowed us to build upon preventative measures already in place by working alongside local businesses to help them reduce the risk of being targeted by opportunistic thieves, train staff in preventative measures, and evaluate current procedures and protocols.

This operation sent out a clear message that we will actively pursue those responsible for the commission of retail crime in this area.

Such crimes are not victimless crimes. They impact on the local community and local businesses, and we will do everything we can to identify and report offenders, added PC Connon.

We would ask for the help of the local community in providing information about people they know who are committing crimes in our area. Anyone with information can contact local Officers via 101 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Local area commander, Chief Inspector Murray Main said: This latest phase of our successful retail crime operation has involved local officers in Kincardine and Mearns working closely with retailers in the area to identify those responsible for crimes of shoplifting, particularly those persistent criminals, and ensure they are held accountable for their actions.

He added: Every time something is stolen the retailer loses money and as a result, this can mean prices go up or worse, small businesses fail and people lose their jobs.

Id like to reassure people that operations such as this will continue across the south of Aberdeenshire to ensure our towns and villages remain safe places for people to live, work, visit and enjoy.

See the original post:

Thirteen-year-old girl arrested in Mearns shoplifting clampdown - The Courier

Posted: Mar. 30, 2017 3:15 pm

GOV. Bruce Rauner formed the Illinois State Commission on Criminal Justice and Sentencing Reform in February 2015 and tasked it with making recommendations to reduce the state's prison population by 25 percent by 2025.

The ambitious goal was made necessary because the state's prisons are among the most overcrowded in the nation, operating at 150 percent of design capacity. The Illinois prison population has grown from 6,000 inmates in 1974 to nearly 49,000 today, according to the Bureau of Justice.

Moreover, according to the Illinois Office of Management and Budget, it cost an average of $22,191 to incarcerate one inmate in an Illinois prison in 2014, or about $1.08 billion to house the total prison population that year. And 70 percent of the state's inmates are serving time for nonviolent crimes.

Two proposals now being debated in committee in the General Assembly, based on a recommendation by the commission, would raise the threshold of felony retail theft from $300 to either $2,000 or $2,500. A conviction is punishable by two to five years in prison, plus fines up to $25,000.

Proponents claim that most states have a felony threshold for shoplifting and general property theft four to five times as high as Illinois. For example, it is $2,500 in neighboring Wisconsin, while just $500 in Missouri. They contend that a shoplifter who steals $300 in goods should not receive the same penalty as someone convicted of aggravated battery, as is the case now.

However, opponents -- including the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, the Illinois Sheriff's Association and the Illinois Municipal League -- counter that while they agree that there should be fewer nonviolent inmates in the state's prisons, increasing the felony threshold to $2,000 or $2,500 would diminish the seriousness of retail theft.

We agree.

Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association, said businesses in the state lose $2 billion annually to retail theft, losses that eventually are passed on to consumers through higher prices. The state and municipalities also lose out on potential sales tax revenue.

Furthermore, the National Association for Shoplifting Prevention says only one in 11 shoplifters is caught, and usually not on the first try.

"Any suggestion that retail theft is a victimless crime is simply wrong," Karr said.

Quincy Police Chief Rob Copley and Adams County Sheriff Brian VonderHaar say they would support a slight increase in the felony threshold, but neither agrees with the larger increases being proposed in Springfield.

"If somebody steals something -- whether it's a nice lawn mower or something that's worth $1,000 or $1,500 -- to say that's not a felony, I would not be in favor of that," VonderHaar told The Herald-Whig.

Clearly, Illinois' rising prison population is not sustainable. While reducing the number of nonviolent criminals in prison is a worthy and necessary goal, thieves should still know that there are serious consequences to stealing the property of others.

Allowing someone to steal $2,000 or $2,500 worth of merchandise before being charged with a felony does not achieve that.

Read more:

Raising retail crime threshold lessens its gravity - Herald-Whig

Criminals rely on money laundering to profit from many crimes, including weapons and drugs. This destroys thousands of lives around the world and in the UK. But to make good on their bad deeds, criminals must use reputable firms to turn dirty money into something they can spend.

Money laundering often works by splitting large funds into smaller amounts and disseminating them through multiple payments that are less likely to raise alarm by either professional services firms such as accountancies, or the state.

Its essential that whenever a professional has doubts about a client engaging their firm, he or she reports the matter to their money laundering reporting officer

While almost every solicitor or accountant is fully versed in their firms due diligence measures cunning criminals and complacency can lead to cases slipping through the net.

Money laundering is not a victimless crime, and seemingly harmless transactions can have ripple effects which end up destroying professional reputations, as well as lives.

Its essential that whenever a professional has doubts about a client engaging their firm, he or she reports the matter to their money laundering reporting officer, who will determine whether or not to file a suspicious activity report with the National Crime Agency. This will assist law enforcement to gather valuable intelligence and, where necessary, recover assets and bring criminals to justice.

The UKs professional services companies are being targeted by money launderers, who use legitimate firms to bring the proceeds of serious and organised crime into the economy, investing it further into criminality and undermining the integrity of UK financial institutions and markets.

The Home Office is working with professional services firms through its Flag It Up! campaign to help honest enterprises avoid becoming enablers of crime.

Visit tgr.ph/homeoffice for more information about the dangers of money laundering and the steps being taken to combat it.

You can find further information on how to submit a suspicious activity report on theNCA website, and regulatory guidance is signposted through the Accountancy Affinity Groupssupervisory pagesand the Law Society's anti-money laundering page.

Follow this link:

Drugs, weapons and human trafficking: the real impact of money laundering - Telegraph.co.uk

11:27 Monday 27 March 2017

A 58 year-old man is among six people charged with shoplifting in a recent initiative tackling shoplifting.

The four-day operation, between Saturday March 18, and Tuesday March 21, was the latest phase of an initiative to tackle acquisitive crime.

Officers conducted visible patrols in Stonehaven, Portlethen and Laurencekirk and focused on targeting people wanted on warrant for acquisitive crime offences, intelligence gathering, and working alongside local businesses with crime prevention advice.

A 58 year old man was charged in relation to seven shopliftings; six in Stonehaven and one in Portlethen. A 16 year old boy and 19 year old man were charged in relation to shoplifting in Laurencekirk. A 16 year old boy and 13 year old girl were charged in relation to shoplifting in Stonehaven and a 27 year old man was charged in relation to shoplifting in Laurencekirk.

The operation was carried out in support of the recently developed Aberdeenshire Retail Crime initiative in Stonehaven. Officers work with retailers such as the Co-Op and Charles Michies Chemist as well as with new local businesses to promote crime reduction opportunities.

Patrols were carried out to provide reassurance as well as in order to deter opportunistic thieves from acquisitive crime.

PC Ashleigh Connon, from the Kincardine and Mearns Community Policing Team and who organised the operation said: This initiative allowed us to build upon preventative measures already in place by working alongside local businesses to help them reduce the risk of being targeted by opportunistic thieves, train staff in preventative measures, and evaluate current procedures and protocols.

This operation sent out a clear message that we will actively pursue those responsible for the commission of retail crime in this area. Such crimes are not victimless crimes. They impact on the local community and local businesses, and we will do everything we can to identify and report offenders. We would ask for the help of the local community in providing information about people they know who are committing crimes in our area. Anyone with information can contact local Officers via 101 or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Local Area Commander Chief Inspector Murray Main said: This latest phase of our successful retail crime operation has involved local officers in Kincardine and Mearns working closely with retailers in the area to identify those responsible for crimes of shoplifting, particularly those persistent criminals, and ensure they are held accountable for their actions.

He added: People sometimes view shoplifting as a victimless crime which doesnt have much of an impact on the community, but that is certainly not the case. Every time something is stolen the retailer loses money and as a result, this can mean prices go up or worse, small businesses fail and people lose their jobs. Id like to reassure people that operations such as this will continue across the south of Aberdeenshire to ensure our towns and villages remain safe places for people to live, work, visit and enjoy.

More here:

Six charged with shoplifting in Kincardine and Mearns - Mearns ... - Mearns Leader