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Six people were arrested for shoplifting in the St Albans district following a proactive operation held during Safer Business Action Week last week.
A man was also summonsed directly to court for shoplifting and five men were given community resolutions. A man was also summonsed to court for having no car insurance and his Audi was seized. In addition,17 stop and searches were carried out by the dedicated shoplifting team.
Marc Harwood, age 38, of Leavesden Road in Watford, was arrested on suspicion of theft from Marks and Spencer in St Peters Street at 12.30pm on Wednesday 16 October and subsequently charged. Food and drink were stolen from the store. He has been ordered to pay £200 in fines, and £80 in court costs.
Marcus Irvine, age 48, of Creighton Avenue, St Albans was arrested and charged with stealing a large quantity of meat from Tesco on 17 October. He is due at St Albans Magistrates’ Court on 1 November.
Megan Messenger, age 35, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of 10 shoplifting offences over the past few weeks. She has been bailed by St Albans Magistrates’ Court with conditions not to attend a number of local stores. She is due back in court on 21 November for sentencing.
A 38-year-old woman from London and a 24-year-old man from Dagenham arrested for shoplifting from Boots in St Peters Street were given community resolutions. A 29-year-old woman, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of shoplifting and a common assault and later released.
A 29-year-old man from Stevenage was also arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and is on police bail pending further enquiries.
A large quantity of drugs, suspected to be cannabis, was recovered from the River Ver.
A small lock knife was also recovered in the city centre during the patrols.
As part of Safer Business Action Week, which started on Monday 14 October, a dedicated team of plain clothed and high-visibility officers have been working with security staff at shops in St Albans city centre, Colney Fields shopping centre in London Colney and local shops including the Co-op in Cell Barnes Lane to target known prolific offenders and opportunist thieves.