Epsom & Ewell Central

Retail Crime

The Epsom Safer Neighbourhood Team has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards retail crime across the Borough, resulting in a significant reduction of local offenders within the Town Centre. This approach includes:
•Immediate investigation of known offenders by the Safer Neighbourhood Team, leading to faster arrests and allowing response units to focus elsewhere.
•Direct collaboration with stores and remote CCTV providers, which has enabled arrests even before stores have reported incidents.
•Increased presence of both high-visibility and covert officers patrolling the area.
•Joint funding with Epsom BID to provide private security within the Town Centre.
•Partnership with support agencies to engage offenders who may be coerced into offending, aiming to prevent repeat crimes.
•All stores have access to the ‘DISC’ system for improved information sharing, crime reporting, and management of known offenders. Anyone caught stealing from one store will be banned from the entire Town.
•We will relentlessly pursue persistent offenders, thorough investigation of hidden or unreported crimes, and the use of custody time to charge and remand offenders rather than granting bail.
•Use of the Anti-Social Behaviour Legislation to prevent offenders coming to the area.

Anti-Social Behaviour:

A Borough-Wide Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) is now in place across Epsom & Ewell. The order includes the following key conditions:
•No harassment or intimidation.
•No wearing of face coverings or clothing that obscures identity with the intent to commit crime or anti-social behaviour.
•No groups of three or more engaging in behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
•No threatening behaviour or verbal abuse.
•No inciting or engaging in conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
•No alcohol consumption after being verbally instructed to stop.

Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, and authorised Council officers have the authority to enforce these conditions and can instruct individuals to leave the area if necessary. Non-compliance may lead to arrest and/or a fine.

In addition, the Epsom Safer Neighbourhood Team is launching a major initiative in collaboration with partner agencies to address offending—particularly in the Town Centre, Longmead, Watersedge and Nescot College including the surrounding alleyways.

This initiative will include increased overt and covert policing operations and improved CCTV coverage across targeted areas. It will also Design out the offending to make the reduction sustainable in the future.

Anti-Social Behaviour:

A Borough-Wide Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) is now in place across Epsom & Ewell. The order includes the following key conditions:

•No harassment or intimidation.
•No wearing of face coverings or clothing that obscures identity with the intent to commit crime or anti-social behaviour.
•No groups of three or more engaging in behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
•No threatening behaviour or verbal abuse.
•No inciting or engaging in conduct likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress.
•No alcohol consumption after being verbally instructed to stop.

Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, and authorised Council officers have the authority to enforce these conditions and can instruct individuals to leave the area if necessary. Non-compliance may lead to arrest and/or a fine.

In addition, the Epsom Safer Neighbourhood Team is launching a major initiative in collaboration with partner agencies to address offending—particularly in the Town Centre, Longmead, Watersedge and Nescot College including the surrounding alleyways.

This initiative will include increased overt and covert policing operations and improved CCTV coverage across targeted areas. It will also Design out the offending to make the reduction sustainable in the future.