Overview

• Dorset Police released CCTV stills of a woman wanted for two Jellycat thefts at a Christchurch bookshop earlier this month.
• West Mercia Police arrested a 38-year-old in June after three separate incidents at St Peter’s Garden Centre and Evesham Country Park in Worcestershire.
• Independent shops have stepped up in-store security and are contributing theft reports to Project Pegasus following calls from APCC retail crime lead Katy Bourne.
• Organised gangs and opportunistic thieves continue to target scarce, high-value Jellycat plush toys for resale on Facebook, eBay and Vinted.
• ONS figures show shoplifting offences rose 20% to 516,971 in 2024, highlighting growing losses for small retailers from collectible toy thefts.