Prolific West Lancashire shoplifter jailed

Thursday, October 17, 2024

A prolific shoplifter from Skelmersdale has been jailed.

George Owen, 56, of Birkrig, Skelmersdale appeared at Preston Magistrates Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to three counts of theft from a shop which relates to incidents in Ormskirk between September and October.

Owen was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison and was also given a three-year CBO (Criminal Behaviour Order) with the following conditions:

• Prohibited from entering parts of Ormskirk Town Centre.
• Prohibited from entering any B&M Bargains store.

PC Dave Fairclough from West Lancashire’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “I hope that this result gives the community and businesses of Ormskirk some reassurance that we will not tolerate shoplifting and other criminal activity in our town.”

Operation Vulture is Lancashire Constabulary’s response to shoplifting across the county, backed by Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw. 

The operation sees dedicated officers undertaking hotspot patrolling, increasing their visibility in targeted areas and creating strong partnerships with retailers across the county to better share intelligence, get a deeper understanding of retail crime and identify more offenders. 

Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said: "As Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner, I will continue to work alongside the Chief Constable to establish a more proactive approach to shoplifting, with better protection for shop workers and improved relationships between retailers and the police. 

"The public need to know that in the event of a crime such as shoplifting, the police will come, and the crime will be punished accordingly.  I will continue to scrutinise the Constabulary to deliver better outcomes on retail crime. "