Make your Christmas shopping safer.
11 November 2010, 06:00
Police in Norwich want us to have a safer Christmas shopping experience this year and have given us 8 top tips.
'Operation Festive' means there will be a focus on reducing purse dipping and shoplifting during this festive season, making us less vulnerable to those Scrooge's who make our Christmas shopping less enjoyable.
The team will start operating from Thursday 11th November until Tuesday 4th January as this is when the amount of shoplifting rises. We will start to see high visibility daytime patrols focusing on Gentlemen's Walk. There will also be stalls in Chapelfield and The Castle Mall dedicated to preventing crime.
Chief Inspector Dennis Lacey said, "86% of shoplifters in Norwich are caught so we are sending out a strong warning that shoplifting won't be tolerated at this time of year or at any time." He later stated he wants us to be able to safely, enjoy our Christmas shopping experience.
8 top tips to shoppers:
- Close your purse and put it away before you leave the till.
- Try not to overload yourself with bags and coats.
- Avoid carrying your wallet or purse in a back trouser pocket.
- Keep cash secure and out of sight.
- When you put money in your handbag, don't let people see where you put it - especially when you are using an ATM.
- Do not leave your handbag, pushchair or shopping trolley unattended.
- When packing groceries in your car, never leave your handbag on the boot or roof of your car.
- Have a purse alarm which will alert you is your purse is stolen, these can be bought from local police stations.
There will be a crime prevention stand near The Canary Store in The Castle Mall from 10.30am - 4.30pm on Sunday the 14th November and from 9am - 5.30pm on Friday the 3rd of December.
There will also be one on the Dining Terrace at Chapelfield from 11am - 3pm on Thursday the 16th of November and Thursday the 25th of November.