Traders collaborate to fight rise in shoplifting in their beloved town

Seventy businesses in Exmouth have joined forces in a bid to tackle rising levels of anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.

Business owners – including many independent traders – claim to have witnessed increasingly brazen shoplifting and a rise in general anti-social behaviour that they fear could unfairly damage the town’s reputation if left unopposed.
An open letter, co-ordinated by Green Party Councillor Dan Wilson (Green Party, Exmouth Halsdon), who sits on the town council and East Devon District Council, that stated the town had now “reached a point where additional support is essential if we are to restore confidence, protect our businesses, and prevent the situation from deteriorating further.
Devon & Cornwall Police said it understood the letter may cause concern, but that Exmouth remained a “safe, friendly, and welcoming place to love, work, and enjoy”, and that the relevant neighbourhood team had recently seen four new members of staff join.
Alison Hernandez, the police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, acknowledged the concerns were “disappointing” and urged businesses to sign up to the business crime reporting partnership (IKPAC) that helps police secure shoplifting and anti-social behaviour prosecutions in the force area.
Debbie Farley, who runs Unique Boutique, said she signed the letter as part of efforts to collaborate with other traders.
“We want to think about how we can stop this and deter it from happening rather than turning a blind eye and letting it get worse, as it has,” she said.
Ms Farley acknowledged that while Exmouth was “not the crime capital of the world”, an increasing amount of shoplifting incidents around the town were “blatant”.
“I think people believe Exmouth is an easy target as we don’t have any police presence, deterrent or consequence and so it is getting more brazen,” she said.
“I’m queuing up for my 80p pint of milk in the supermarket, and I’m seeing people helping themselves to their lunch and beer.”
Fellow business owner, Orion Windsor, who runs Cookies & Dream, said the situation in the town is “becoming increasingly worse”.
“We had an incident near the train station recently with people causing chaos outside, going into Marks & Spencer and threatening staff,” he said.
“And we’ve got the school holidays soon as well as the tourist season, and so lots of them will march through the town on their way to the beach, and I’m in the market and when they come in they are very lairy and shout in here too.”
He said a WhatsApp group of business owners helped the town’s businesses communicate and alert each other about any potential problem customers or groups.
He added all the traders “think it is getting worse”, and while he had “absolute sympathy” for the challenging position the police are in, something needed to change.
“If something bad happens, then if there was an investigation it would surely question why nothing was done when we are here shouting and saying we need help,” he added.
Both Ms Farley and Mr Windsor urged businesses to keep reporting incidents, even if they felt doing so was fruitless.
“Unless we report every offence, how does that help the police to build a profile of how significant the issue is,” Ms Farley said.
Fiona Burnell, the manager of the town’s Barnardo’s charity shop, said it had been the victim of anti-social behaviour, with its window once smashed by vandals.
“We had one of our front windows shattered by a group of 18-20-year-olds who thought it was funny to kick in our window,” she said.
“And we’re constantly dealing with theft from the shop.” 
She added the shop didn’t only sell donated items, so some of its stock was purchased by the charity, meaning such items being stolen had a detrimental financial effect.
“It’s quite prolific and there’s not a lot we can do about it,” she added.
Ms Burnell added other traders she speaks to “absolutely” believe the situation in the town is worsening, and said she hoped for a greater police presence in the town.
Cllr Wilson said the situation with anti-social behaviour and shoplifting was “causing significant harm to local businesses, their staff, and Exmouth’s wider reputation”.
“Incidents involving aggressive, confrontational, and threatening behaviour are becoming increasingly common, while shoplifting continues to rise in both frequency and severity,” Cllr Wilson’s letter stated.
“Those responsible appear to be acting with growing confidence, emboldened by the lack of a visible police presence and the absence of meaningful consequences for their actions.”
Cllr Wilson stressed he understood the town’s police presence was “not a reflection” on the local team’s commitment or performance, “but rather the result of severely limited policing resources”, but that “urgent action” needed to be taken by decisionmakers in the police to help rectify the growing problem.
“I recognise current police crime data may not fully reflect the true extent of the problem, however, this is largely because many businesses have stopped reporting incidents, having lost confidence that doing so will result in a response,” the letter added.
“A lack of recorded crime should not be interpreted as a lack of offending.”
Chief inspector Miranda Pusey, who leads local policing teams in Exeter, East, and Mid Devon, said she understood the letter may cause concern but stressed Exmouth was safe and welcoming.
“Our Exmouth and Ottery St Mary Neighbourhood Team has recently welcomed four new members of staff to ensure we have the local presence in the area, including PCSO Emily McGuire, who many people may have seen featured on the Exmouth Police Facebook page this week,” she said.
“These additional resources, alongside our patrol officers, strengthen our ability to support the community and respond to local concerns.
“The team are committed to tackling crime and anti-social behaviour across East Devon, and we know that the support of our communities is key to that effort.”
Chief inspector Pusey added that if anyone witnessed anti-social behaviour, had concerns or noticed something suspicious, they should report it to the police.
“Every piece of information helps us build a clearer picture of what is happening, and we will take reports seriously,” she said.
“Residents and visitors can expect to continue seeing a visible police presence in the area, with officers carrying out proactive patrols and working closely with local businesses, partner agencies, and community groups.
“Together, we will continue doing everything we can to keep Exmouth a safe and enjoyable place for everyone.”
Commissioner Ms Hernandez said: “It’s disappointing to hear of these concerns and I’ll be looking to see if there is any more my office can do to support the community in Exmouth, including by encouraging businesses to sign up to the business crime reporting partnership UKPAC (UK Partners Against Crime), which is helping police secure shoplifting and anti-social behaviour prosecutions across Devon and Cornwall. 
“My office supports the police and local councils to help tackle antisocial behaviour in a number of ways, including by helping to fund the street marshals that operate in Exmouth.
“I also fund an antisocial behaviour outreach programme across Devon and Cornwall which works to divert young people from problematic behaviour.”
Ms Hernandez added that through her Councillor Advocate scheme, she worked with local authority members to tackle issues such as these.
“I would encourage any councillors in Exmouth who are not yet signed-up to get involved. Tackling anti-social behaviour needs strong partnership working, between councils, the police and my office,” she added.