Shopkeepers have been summoned to an anti-shoplifting summit called by Wickford police.

The move has been welcomed by businesses fed-up with thieves pilfering from their stores.

The initiative is being organised by community liaison officer PC Geoff Whiter and community safety officer PC Colin Mead. They believe the key to reducing shop theft in the town lies with the store staff.

Mr Mead said adequate staff training could have a major impact on the number of offences and greatly reduce the huge cost to companies.

He added: "I'll be teaching them what to look for. I'd also like to see marketing and security staff talk to one another."

He explained all-too-often thefts occurred because marketing departments, keen to boost sales, placed large displays close to the doors of shops - making items easier to steal.

Mr Whiter said he was sending out invitations to High Street retailers for the meeting and hoped shopkeepers would attend.

The meeting, scheduled for May 15, is particularly aimed at smaller stores where security is often not as tight as it should be.

The move has been welcomed by shopkeepers in the town. Murray Chaplin, manager of M W Shadforth in the High Street, said: "This sounds like a good idea - shoplifting is quite a big problem in Wickford. We all need to be more vigilant."

Sanjay Aggarwal, manager of Smokers' Paradise newsagents in the Ladygate Centre, said: "Shop theft is an issue in the town. It's not just young people who do it either - some of them are pensioners."

Bharati Patel, who runs the Newsbox newsagent, has also thrown her weight behind the initiative after falling victim to shoplifters.

A Basildon Council spokesman said: "This is aimed at shopkeepers and anybody else who wants to find out how to deal with shoplifters."

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