Shoplifting plagues West Sussex village as multiple teenagers arrested and charged

Amid a rise in crime in Barnham, Sussex Police said the most frequent crime is shoplifting. Between October 2023 and January 2024, there were 64 reports of shoplifting incidents.

Since then, police have been called to four shoplifting incidents at the Co-op in The Square, Barnham between January 23 and March 2. This comes after five incidents at the shop between October 30, 2023 and January 23, 2024.

Police officers were called to a burglary at the Co-Op about 9.16pm on February 11.

After uploading a media appeal, the suspect was successfully identified, and an ‘investigation is ongoing’.

A police spokesperson added: “A number of young people have been interviewed under caution last month following several linked anti-social behaviour and shoplifting reports.

“A 14-year-old boy from Yapton has been charged with four counts of shoplifting and one count of assault by beating.

“He has been released on conditional bail and is due to appear at Worthing Youth Court on May 9.

“A 15-year-old boy from Arundel admitted to possession of a knife, possession of cannabis and theft from a shop.

"He will be referred to the Youth Offending Service and has been released on conditional bail while this take place.

“A 15-year-old boy from Yapton has been charged with five counts of shoplifting.

“He has been released on conditional bail and is due to appear at court on May 9.”

Sussex Police said it has, alongside partners, been working with the community to ‘tackle a rise in anti-social behaviour and crime’ in Barnham.

A spokesperson said: "In the last three months, spanning between October 2023 and January 2024, there have been a total of 52 incidents reported to Sussex Police relating to anti-social behaviour in Barnham and Eastergate.

“There were also 15 incidents reported to police relating to violent crime, with five being assault without injury.”

This newspaper reported that Barnham and its surrounding villages were witness to 347 reported crimes between August and December 2023 – the highest monthly increase recorded in Arun.

Crime levels have risen at a consistent rate and violence and sexual offences had doubled (34) by the end of the same five-month period – a peak figure matched only by Hotham area, near Bognor Regis town centre.

The spokesperson, in response, said: “Sussex Police have been collaborating with partners to ensure that extra work and visibility is being targeted to Barnham and the surrounding villages.

“A multi-agency meeting took place at Barnham Village Hall on Tuesday, February 20, with representatives from Sussex Police, Arun District Council, BTP, Co-op, Tesco, Southern Rail and more to discuss various issues, and to create a rough plan going forward."

There are also rail enforcement officers which are deployed to Barnham railway station six evenings a week to ‘prevent and deter crime’.

Detective Sergeant Lou Baileff said: “I really encourage anyone to report anti-social behaviour and any criminal activity.

“We need to know what is happening, where and when. We need to tackle this head on and will have the resources to do so.

“Our teams will be targeting resources to the areas which are affected, and the community can really help us by reporting crime.”

Sussex Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said anti-social behaviour ‘affects our quality of life’ and can be the ‘gateway to neighbourhoods feeling unsafe’.

She added: “Whilst it is disappointing to see this volume of anti-social behaviour, I’m pleased that the public are reporting and the police are responding effectively.

“I was also concerned to hear about the high volume of shoplifting occurring locally. Our Safer Sussex Business partnership recently discussed some of the joint measures that retailers and police are taking to identify and target shoplifters.

"Business crime matters, especially shoplifting and it is never a victimless crime.

"I will continue to work with the Chief Constable and our dedicated business crime unit to ensure we are protecting businesses and their staff from any violence or aggression they may face from criminals. I look forward to hearing positive outcomes from the continued work within Barnham over the coming months.”

If you have any information or would like to report a crime, contact police online or call 101 quoting Operation Precinct. Always dial 999 in an emergency.