Leamington woman among prolific shoplifters who will be in prison over Christmas

Between December 1 and 16, 40 people have been charged with shop theft, of which the majority were caught by Warwickshire Police’s Investigation Standards and Outcomes (ISO) team.

This included three prolific shoplifters – Gareth Heywood, 57 of no fixed abode, Jayne Storey, 40 of Radcliffe Gardens in Leamington and Scott Warner, 41 of no fixed abode – who have all now been sentenced and will be in prison over the Christmas period.

Gareth Heywood received 18 weeks in prison on December 3 for five counts of shop theft, one count of attempted shop theft, and for breaching his community protection notice which was put in place to guard several shops in Leamington Spa against shop theft.

Heywood is also required to pay compensation totalling £176.

Jayne Storey received 10 weeks in prison on 4 December for three counts of shop theft in Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as an order to pay a victims’ surcharge of £154.

Scott Warner received 16 weeks in prison for seven counts of shop theft in Bedworth as well as an order to pay compensation of £160.

One of the key aims of the ISO team is to tackle shop theft through tactics including plain clothes policing.

With this focus they can in turn free up other resources in Warwickshire to investigate other crimes across the county.

Across the country, retail crime has increased by 30 per cent since March 2024.

The team works closely with partners including OPCC, the Warwickshire Retail Crime Initiative, local Business Improvement Districts and Community Safety Partnership leads.

Sgt Ben James-Pemberton of the ISO team said: “We’re proud of our record as a team, and we’re only just getting started for the holiday season.

“Most shop theft isn’t committed by those who need food or essentials – it’s disproportionately committed by a smaller number of people looking to raise money to feed a drug addiction, or by organised gangs who specialise in stealing from shops and fencing their products for a profit.

“It’s a drain on police resources and a constant headache for stores and businesses everywhere, so we’re more than happy to relieve the strain – particularly at busy times of year like this.

“You might not see us out as we don’t always dress the part of regular police officers, but trust me – the ISO team is everywhere.”