Three people have been sentenced after admitting shop thefts from stores in Arnold.
Daianna Ionita, aged 20, Gianni Ionita, aged 18, and Matei Bernandi, aged 32, all of Chadwick Road, Nottingham, each indicated guilty pleas to three counts of theft from a shop when they appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 19 June.
They were each sentenced to a community order with 100 hours’ unpaid work and ordered to pay £266 compensation.
The offences included a theft from Asda in Front Street, Arnold, on 31 May.
Nottinghamshire Police said the three entered the store, selected two large plastic bins, placed them in a shopping trolley, and took chocolate bars, household goods and medical items worth hundreds of pounds before heading towards the exit without paying.
Asda’s security team used the Shop Watch radio scheme to alert police while the incident was taking place. An officer who was already at the supermarket detained and arrested the three.
Police said CCTV showed the group getting out of a Ford Galaxy. When officers searched the vehicle, they found stolen food products and clothes on the back seat.
The investigation also identified similar thefts at B&M Bargains in Madford Retail Park and Sainsbury’s in Arnold.
The Shop Watch radio scheme connects police with shops, supermarkets, businesses and independent retailers in Arnold. Nottinghamshire Police said the scheme had a 75 per cent detection rate in the previous two months, meaning three quarters of reported shop thefts led to an arrest, charge or other sanction.
Sergeant Alison Riley, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Arnold neighbourhood team, said: “Neighbourhood officers have made significant progress in tackling shop theft using methods we know are effective.
“Reducing shoplifting is about using all the tools and technology we have at our disposal, including hotspot patrol plans, meaning officers are in the right place at the right time.
“Shop Watch radios are crucial in helping us to arrest and charge persistent offenders.
“This also includes Operation Retail, which allows us to secure criminal charges against shop thieves more quickly when there is clear and overwhelming evidence capturing the offence.
“We are pleased with the progress that has been made but are in no way complacent and will continue to work with businesses to tackle the issues important to them and support local retailers.”