Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary lead the fight against retail crime

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is demonstrating its commitment to tackling shoplifting and organised retail crime as part of a national crackdown. This follows the Pegasus Partnership initiative, which has so far resulted in 93 arrests, including a case in Hampshire where a prolific shoplifter was jailed for stealing over £24,000 worth of items from local Boots stores.

Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has reaffirmed her dedication to addressing retail crime through her recently launched Police and Crime Plan. The plan prioritises support for local businesses and ensures robust action against offenders who target high streets and retail establishments.

PCC Donna Jones said: “Organised crime is linked to shoplifting through networks of offenders who systematically target retail stores, often across multiple regions, to steal high-value items for resale, funding broader criminal enterprises such as drug trafficking or human exploitation

“The impact of this crime is far reaching, it impacts business owners, staff, and shoppers. It threatens community safety and confidence in our high streets, and it must be stopped.

“I am proud to see the force working in partnership with national initiatives like Pegasus to bear down on those who target businesses, disrupt organised crime groups, and support victims. My Police and Crime Plan highlights this priority, and I remain committed to ensuring businesses feel protected and offenders face justice.”

The Pegasus Partnership, a collaboration between retailers, the Home Office, and policing, centralises intelligence on organised crime groups. In Hampshire, this led to the conviction of Ionel Elvis Dulea, who targeted stores in Andover, Aldershot, and Fareham, stealing high-value skincare and cosmetic products. Dulea was sentenced to two years in prison at Winchester Crown Court.

Hampshire’s proactive approach aligns with the wider achievements of the Pegasus Partnership, which has so far impacted 28 organised crime groups and prevented losses exceeding £4 million nationally. Opal, the national intelligence unit driving this effort, has identified over 228 offenders and supported multiple investigations across the UK​.

The Constabulary and PCC’s commitment to tackling retail crime ensures safer streets, thriving businesses, and continued public confidence in the region.

What is Pegasus?

• Pegasus is a partnership between retailers and policing set up to centralise intelligence on serious and organised crime groups involved in retail crime.
• Centralised intelligence is collated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council Opal Team (additional information on Opal can be found below).
• The Pegasus partnership brings together the expertise of a national intelligence unit together with funding from government and the private sector, as well as data, in order to combat serious and organised crime. It is closing the gap between organised retail crime and the police response to it.
• Pegasus has boosted the sharing of information and intelligence around organised retail crime between retailers and policing.
• The Pegasus partnership is funded by retailers and Government.

What is Opal?

• Opal continues to make a significant impact on serious organised acquisitive crime, helping forces combat high levels of criminality and recovering high value stolen property.
• The Opal team is firmly established within UK policing and supports forces in the development of intelligence packages, as well as raising awareness of serious organised acquisitive crime with industry.
• The Opal team is funded by the National Police Chiefs’ Council with the Organised Retail Crime (ORC) team specifically funded by the Pegasus Partnership.
• Retailers (of any size), police forces and industry bodies such as Business Crime Reduction Partnerships, submit referrals to the ORC team within Opal and provided the referral meets the required threshold, the team then prioritises and focuses on the series with the highest threat, harm and risk.
• Opal collates a national picture of the scale and scope of the issues, subsequently identifying organised crime groups and high priority offenders with packages then passed to local forces to continue the investigation and take action.

National results from the Opal Organised Retail Crime team since 1 May include:

• 93 arrests from 28 different organised crime groups
• Responsible/linked to £4,060,942.87 of loss
• 228 offenders have been identified – ie. Opal was able to link offender/s to an incident where a suspect had previously not been known. Whether through the facial recognition database on the Police National Database or other routes.
• 70 vehicles have been identified linked to shop theft offending
• 90 pieces of intelligence either developed by Opal around ORC or intelligence received from retailers – then submitted into policing
• 194 collaborations and coordinations – where Opal has brought together police forces and/or retailers in a joint approach to disrupt an organised crime group.
• 32 court outcomes related to shop theft offenders
• A total of 19 years in prison sentences for those who have already been through the courts (more to follow)
• 5 offenders deported
• 28 items of property seized including 14 vehicles.