🔎 The Problem: A Persistent, Targeted Theft Spree
The Hobbycraft store in Dunstable faced an ongoing challenge—specific high-value items were repeatedly being stolen. CCTV footage captured each theft, but every time, it appeared to be a different offender. The swift nature of the crimes meant staff often only realised what had happened after checking security footage, making it difficult to track and prevent future incidents.
🚀 The Smart Solution: Face Matching Insights
Determined to stop the losses, the store team began logging every incident on their Alert crime intelligence platform, uploading CCTV images of the suspects. That’s when Alert’s facial matching technology uncovered a critical insight—it wasn’t multiple culprits at all, but the same offender striking repeatedly.
💡 Connecting the Dots & Taking Action
By merging previously separate offender profiles into one, the Store Manager was able to visualise the full extent of the thefts. They then shared the suspect’s image with other retailers in the area and quickly identified the individual. What once seemed like a series of unrelated thefts was now a clear, trackable pattern.
Powerful analytics within Alert highlighted the thief’s preferred days and times for stealing, allowing the store to proactively anticipate and start to prevent future thefts and reduce loss.
📁 Building a Strong Case
Every incident was documented in Alert, with an MG11 witness statement attached and reported to the police, securing a Crime Reference Number for each case.
An Investigation was created within Alert, compiling all relevant evidence: CCTV footage, incident reports, MG11 statements, and a complete loss summary into a single, compelling document.
💰 The Impact: Stopping the Cycle
Equipped with this intelligence, the store were able to demonstrate a strong case to police.
Stock loss amounted to £841 over July and August, averaging £168 per incident. Based on this evidence, police issued an exclusion order, banning the individual from Hobbycraft and three other retailers on the park.
However, the offender continued their thefts, stealing £204 worth of goods in October. Each incident was logged and reported, ultimately securing a suspended sentence and further exclusion. Undeterred, the offender committed two more thefts in December, totalling £160.Thanks to comprehensive evidence from Alert, the store was able to prove repeated breaches of exclusion orders, leading to the offender’s arrest and a 26-week custodial sentence.
📊 Preventing Further Losses
Over six months, the total loss amounted to £1,200. However, due to Alert’s proactive insights, the store was able to deter additional thefts, recording them as attempted thefts, and further strengthening their case in court.
Thanks to Alert’s intelligence-led approach, a potentially prolific offender was brought to justice—minimising losses, protecting stock, and making the shopping environment safer for staff and customers alike.
