Police have launched a manhunt for three men accused of snatching high-value cookware items from department store John Lewis in a series of raids.
Dorset Police released CCTV images of three men they wish to speak to after the alleged shoplifting incidents between December and February this year.
Officers received four separate reports of the three men entering John Lewis at the Poole Retail Park in Redlands, removing security tags from items and leaving without paying.
It comes amid an epidemic of theft from UK high streets, with latest figures showing retail theft soared by 22 percent across England and Wales in 2023-2024.
The men, dressed largely in dark coats, glasses and hats, are seen on CCTV footage in the kitchen area of the department store.
The first incident saw a frying pan set taken at 9.20am on December 3.
A saucepan set was then stolen at 11.25am on January 27, before the alleged thieves targeted a Le Creuset set at 9.45am on February 7.
Finally another cookware set was taken on February 10 at around 9.30am.
Dorset Police released CCTV images of three men they wish to speak to after the alleged shoplifting incidents between December and February this year
Officers received four separate reports of the three men entering John Lewis at the Poole Retail Park in Redlands, Dorset
The men, dressed largely in dark coats, glasses and hats, are seen on CCTV footage in the kitchen area of the department store
The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) crime survey found that just two percent of shoplifting offences reported to police resulted in a conviction
Police Constable Robert Roaf, of Dorset Police, said: ‘As part of my enquiries, I have obtained CCTV images of three men I would like to identify.
‘I would ask anyone who recognises them to please get in touch.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online or by calling 101 and quoting incident number 55250014300.
Crimestoppers can also be contacted on 0800 555111 for anonymous information.
The latest figures from the British Retail Consortium’s (BRC) crime survey found that just two percent of shoplifting offences reported to police resulted in a conviction.
The crisis is most acute in London, where the capital has recorded a shocking 50 per cent boom in shoplifting, up from 53,202 in 2023 to 80,041 last year.
About 55,000 crimes are reported every day nationwide – with 38 stores targeted every second, BRC data has revealed.
Meanwhile, workers are increasingly being attacked by yobs, with stats showing 45,000 violent incidents took place during the last year – more than 124 a day.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online or by calling 101 and quoting incident number 55250014300
The thefts come amid an epidemic of theft from UK high streets, with latest figures showing retail theft soared by 22 percent across England and Wales in 2023-2024
Retailers are reporting unprecedented levels of violence towards their staff, with the number of incidents involving a weapon more than doubling to 70 per day.
Police are attempting to crack down on the alarming surge of shoplifting offences.
A national unit set up to tackle the scourge across Britain has identified more than 20 gangs and 200 criminals fuelling the epidemic.
The gangs, many believed to be East European according to security sources, are responsible for millions of pounds of thefts each year, and are also suspected of human trafficking and exploiting vulnerable individuals.
Operation Opal, an intelligence-gathering unit set up six months ago to uncover the organised criminal groups behind shop thefts, has also identified 61 vehicles the gangs use to move shoplifters and goods around the country.
The unit’s evidence has already led to dozens of arrests, with some persistent thieves put behind bars and deported back to countries such as Romania.
John Lewis has been contacted for comment.
