AN operation to tackle shoplifting in the Kingfisher Centre has been re-launched in an effort to stop the crime from continually increasing.

The Retail Crime Operation was originally set up 18 months ago.

It aims to reduce incidents of shoplifting through constant communication between stores which have signed up to the scheme.

But the project has finally been reviewed and restarted following various hitches just weeks before the centre's busy Christmas period.

New chairman of the RCO, Carl Bishop, who is manager of Marks and Spencer, said: "Shoplifting had been increasing steadily for quite a time and it reached the point when we felt nothing was happening with the RCO.

"We knew we needed to do something about it. It became so bad that people were going round ripping stores off and nothing was happening because stores were tackling the problem on their own, instead of in a group."

Mr Bishop said the town centre management had funded a collator to gather information of known offenders and communicate with stores, attracting more to the scheme.

He said: "A collator will work in the centre part time for 18 hours a week and the centre has agreed to pay them up to between £150 and £200 a week and the job will go on for another year. Afterwards we will have to look for sponsorship."

There is a new RCO committee and currently 12 stores are signed up to the scheme and Mr Bishop said he would like more to come on board.