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A 26-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences, including theft and assault, following incidents at the Co-op store on Forbes Road, Faversham.
Swale officers launched an investigation after staff at the Co-op reported two separate incidents of shoplifting. The first occurred around 11 pm on Sunday, May 4th, when washing items and alcohol, valued at approximately £50, were reported stolen. The following day, workers at the same store contacted police again to report the theft of washing pods, coffee, and a bottle of wine, also valued at around £50. During this second incident, it is alleged that a female employee was threatened when she attempted to intervene.
Following an investigation that included the review of CCTV footage, a suspect was apprehended on Friday, May 16th.
A man from Ospringe, Faversham, has now been charged with two counts of theft and one count of assault in connection with the Co-op incidents. He also faces charges for four additional shoplifting incidents that allegedly occurred between Tuesday, March 25th, and Thursday, May 15th, as well as charges for criminal damage, one further assault, and two assaults on emergency workers.
He appeared before Folkestone Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, May 17th and was granted conditional bail. He is scheduled to return to the same court on Monday, June 16th.
Chief Inspector Allen Searle said:
‘Our neighbourhood team is continuing to support local businesses by tracking down anyone suspected of targeting their premises.
‘Whilst this is a continuing campaign, Swale has seen a reduction in shoplifting of 4.9% over the last 12 months when compared to the previous year. That’s 77 fewer offences. Our investigators have also solved around a third of reported store thefts over this period and charged suspects in 445 cases.’