A SHOPWATCH scheme is due to be launched in Musselburgh in a bid to crack down on thieves, as shoplifting spiralled “out of control” during the past month.

The initiative was highlighted by PC Jeff Low at a meeting of Musselburgh and Inveresk Community Council last week.

He said that shoplifting had been “out of control” over the past month, with 25 offences reported in the Honest Toun.

Similar to the PubWatch scheme, he explained: “ShopWatch is a formalised way of dealing with it and dealing with the managers.

“We get the management onboard and will look to meet up regularly, and discuss what’s going on.

“There will be information sharing.”

PC Low said that information, including closed circuit television (CCTV) footage, would be fed back into the police community shoplifting squad.

He added: “Shops are being dealt with in a similar way but this is just a formalised process and gets the shops onboard, and gets them sharing information with each other about what’s going on in their own shops.”

Asked by community council chairwoman Irene Tait what kind of items were being stolen, PC Low replied: “Cold meats and steaks are a favourite. Folk will buy them in a pub. Alcohol has recently been a big favourite – trolleys full of alcohol, hundreds of pounds’ worth in one trolley just gone, in a car driven off – out of fire exits in shops and prising off the security tags with whatever.”

He said there were also smaller shopliftings in which goods like dishwasher tablets were taken but in bigger stores more than £1,000 worth of alcohol had gone in four days.

PC Low added: “There are people coming from other areas and then they will target all over.

“They come here [Musselburgh] and go to Tranent and Dunbar.

“The team dealing with shopliftings were driving around and caught a car in Dunbar which had targeted a number of shops. They were reported and there are something like 18 charges of various timescales and localities.”

PC Low said that a ShopWatch scheme was currently running in the Prestonpans area and it was hoped to get a similar initiative up and running in Musselburgh.

PC Low said the shoplifting offences were committed to sell on for anything, including cash or drugs.

Mrs Tait added: “I think it’s a great idea – everyone working together to help deter crime in the town can only be good.”

Councillor Stuart Currie, who along with local trader Neil Wilson joined forces at the end of last year to highlight the need for a ShopWatch scheme, said: “I think this needs to come in now in conjunction with the businesses, police and council.”

Sharon Brown, owner of Blueberry gift shop, speaking on behalf of the Musselburgh Business Partnership, welcomed the scheme.

Community Sergeant Derek MacDonald said: “Shoplifting can be symptomatic of other criminality and can affect the livelihoods of small business owners and so we take such offending very seriously.

“We are in the process of setting up Shopwatch schemes across East Lothian, with new initiatives starting up in Dunbar, Tranent and Musselburgh at the moment. These schemes allow managers and staff to share real-time information about suspicious behaviour and known offenders, and help each other prevent thefts.

“In addition we have a proactive team of officers investigating shoplifting offences which do occur – equipped with information that the Shopwatch schemes are providing to us, we have been able to detect a number of crimes and put suspects before the courts, including a woman recently charged with 13 incidents across the county totalling nearly £4,500 worth of goods.”