Dartford Town Against Crime steps up its fight against repeat offenders.

As a result of some great partnership work amongst Dartford’s business community, Dartford Borough Council, Kent Police and the Dartford Town Against Crime scheme (DTAC) now have a new tool to fight persistent shoplifters and criminals that target local traders within the Borough.

DTAC has become one of the first business crime partnerships in the country to assist Dartford Borough Council in obtaining a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) to a repeat shoplifter, banning the individual from entering any of DTAC members’ stores, plus any Co-Op stores in the County of Kent. The CBO, issued on 12^th March 2021, also requires the individual to seek help for alcohol and drug addiction, and has a power of arrest attached, meaning any breach will be dealt with by the court.  

This was all possible by using legislation that allows Community Protection Warnings and Notices to be issued to individuals who commit crime at a DTAC member’s store. Any breach of the conditions can then support an application, made by Police, for a CBO on conviction of a theft offence, which is what happened in this case.

Supported by Dartford Borough Council, DTAC allows businesses in Dartford to work closely with Police and other agencies to prevent crime, and deal with shoplifters who have a detrimental impact on profits and staff safety. DTAC has supported its members for many years, providing a radio network, CCTV support, regular offender updates, advice and guidance.

Council Officer and DTAC Intelligence Manager, Karen Radford said: “This is a great result for Dartford’s businesses and demonstrates that we will target those criminals that target us. It’s a very difficult time right now for our shops working to re-open following the lockdown, but we’re here to help them as much as possible and make Dartford a safe place to visit and shop. I would encourage all businesses to join DTAC so that we can work together to prevent crime.”

If you have a business in the Borough of Dartford and are interested in what DTAC has to offer, please contact the DTAC Intelligence Manager, Karen Radford @ karen.radford@dartford.gov.uk.