Police in Northamptonshire are looking to cut down on retail crime by publishing mugshots and CCTV footage of wanted criminals and offenders caught in the act.

As part of Operation Guardian, the police service is considering publishing images of people caught committing crime on CCTV either on its own website or in the media.

“Forces across the county have had advice from the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice that it is entirely appropriate to publish images of some offenders in a proportionate way,” said Northamptonshire area commander Paul Fell. 

The police may also publish details of convictions to ‘name and shame’ offenders to deter others from committing similar crimes.
“This is part of our work to reassure people that we take their concerns seriously and are committed to keeping them informed of what is happening where they live,” added Fell. 

Northamptonshire police recently trialled this programme by releasing footage of the attack in Kettering on a Budgen’s retailer with a shotgun and samurai sword. CCTV footage of the incident helped police make arrests in the case. 

The retailer who was the victim of that attack, Niraj Karavadra, welcomed this proposal. “If these sort of details were published, it could make someone reconsider taking a shotgun into a shop,” he said.