Police uncover organised thefts during country shoplifting blitz
Police say there is evidence of organisation behind retail theft in Shepparton, where an operation targeting repeat offenders has led to more than 200 arrests.
Victoria Police have cracked down on organised retail theft in Shepparton's CBD, arresting 130 individuals during Operation Securus. Among them was a 42-year-old Mooroopna woman, who was apprehended 21 times for supermarket shoplifting and was subsequently handed a 70-day prison sentence. The operation, launched in May, aimed to target repeat offenders after shoplifting rates hit a 10-year high.
Police discovered evidence of organised offending, leading to over 200 arrests and returning nearly $50,000 worth of goods to supermarkets, liquor stores, and other shops.
Superintendent Anna Parkinson emphasized that the stolen items were not for basic necessities but instead used to fund drug habits or illegal businesses. Superintendent Parkinson stated, "The offending that's being done here is to feed drug habits and use the goods to run some kind of illegal business." Victoria Police has laid more than 800 charges through this operation.
Greater Shepparton Business Network vice-president, Jac McCarty, welcomed the police blitz but called for stronger bail laws to curb repeat offenses. She noted that while the results were pleasing, the number of reoffenders being released posed a concern. McCarty stated, "Whilst these results are pleasing, it is also disappointing to note the number of reoffenders who are being let back out to continue these behaviours.
Our bail laws need to be strengthened to ensure real outcomes can be made." McCarty also urged that the operation should expand beyond the Shepparton CBD later this year, as repeat offenders were returning to the area, causing fear among local retailers.
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