James Wild recently spoke in Parliament to highlight the importance of schemes such as Operation Wonderland in tackling shoplifting.
Launched this week, Operation Wonderland is a fantastic initiative designed to tackle shoplifting in King’s Lynn this Christmas.
Shoplifting affects local businesses—many of which are small, family-run enterprises—and can drive up costs for honest shoppers. This is especially damaging during the festive period when shops are at their busiest and most vulnerable.
Operation wonderland sees West Norfolk police officers working collaboratively with CCTV operators, street rangers, and shop workers to take a proactive stance against crime. The scheme includes dedicated police patrols across key shopping areas, and ensuring officers are close by to deter criminals and respond swiftly by maintaining close communication with everyone on the ground, from shop staff to council CCTV operators.
Speaking in Parliament James said:
“Shoplifting is often organised by criminal gangs, and Norfolk police have had some success in fighting them. Does the Minister recognise that partnerships such as Operation Wonderland—which has just been launched by West Norfolk police alongside the local council, CCTV operators, street rangers and shop workers—are key to tackling this crime and making sure offenders are brought to justice?”
Dame Diana Johnson, Minister of State in the Home Office said in response:
“The hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. Policing alone cannot deal with this crime; we need to work hand in hand with businesses, as well as the trade unions. USDAW has been very important in the campaign for the offence of assaulting a shop worker that we are going to bring in. I have also met the British Retail Consortium, and will chair a regular forum with the retail sector to make sure we are sharing best practice. We are going to deal with the problems we have inherited.”
Speaking on Operation Wonderland, West Norfolk Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Ben Jarvis said:
“Tackling shoplifting is a year-round priority for us but we ramp up the pressure on thieves in the run up to Christmas. This is the time of year when we see a spike in people attempting to steal from shops and we will not let them get away with it. We know that shoplifting can have a massive impact on the shops and businesses in the town which then have to consider passing those losses on to everyone else.”
