TRADERS in Northallerton are cracking down hard on shoplifters.

Persistent thieves will be banned from stores, which are said to be suffering from "an epidemic of thefts".

Firms say they have had enough and are anxious not to let the town become known as a soft touch.

The action is being backed by police and the CCTV unit run by Hambleton District Council.

Chamber of Trade chairman Jim Turnbull said: "The retail community in Northallerton has been a long-suffering victim at the hands of shoplifters - many of whom are drug addicts.

"They steal to feed their addiction and are having a dramatic effect on businesses, disrupting customers, abusing and intimidating staff and damaging profits.

"We think retail crime is reaching epidemic proportions and standard methods such as in-store cameras and tagging of goods are having little effect.

"Northallerton Chamber of Trade and the Shopwatch scheme are no longer prepared to sit back and do nothing."

From September 1, anyone convicted of retail theft will face a possible ban from all 64 Shopwatch stores for a specified period.

In taking the action, stores are adapting the tried and tested Pubwatch banning system, which has run well for some years.

For it to work, there will need to be close involvement with other partners, such as police and the council.

The Shopwatch stores have a direct radio link to CCTV and support from the cameras.

Each month, the chamber will consider convicted shoplifters and decide whether to send a warning letter or whether to impose a ban.

A banned person will: get a letter to this effect; be told of the length of the ban; be advised they are not welcome in any store displaying a Shopwatch poster.

In addition, member stores will get information about the banned individual.

If the order is ignored, the length of ban will increase and police will be informed.

"We will work with our partners to improve the town," said Mr Turnbull.

"We are aware of human rights issues, but we are also concerned for the rights of customers and for stores and their employees.

"People who commit crimes choose to do so. Victims do not have that choice."

The ban does not extend to businesses not involved in Shopwatch. They will continue to operate their own security measures.

Chamber of Trade deputy chairman Eileen Seymour, of Barkers, said: "Enough is enough. If we become known as a soft touch then thieves will come here and we want to avoid that.

"We do have a lot of shoplifting and this is a crackdown."

Northallerton town centre police officer John Trueman backs the move.

He already works closely with Shopwatch members and other traders, helping to set up a radio contact system and collating information on shoplifters.

"Retail crime is a major problem in rural market towns," he said. "We have a lot of drug addicts who need to feed their habit and who steal to achieve this.

"It is not just that stores are losing thousands of pounds, but also the effect of having certain people in shops who are abusive to staff and upsetting for customers."

PC Trueman said store staff would have access to pictures of convicted thieves to help them enforce bans. These could not be displayed for public view, but names could be on show, as with the Pubwatch scheme.

"The town now has around 40 shops with radios linked to CCTV which can in turn link up with police," he said. "That is like 40 sets of eyes and ears up and down the High Street."

People who flout bans could be reported to police, who would then liaise with other agencies. This could result in an injunction, said PC Trueman.

"My advice to thieves is keep away from Northallerton or act lawfully while you are there," he said.

The district council's head of technical service, David McGloin, also supports the traders' action.

"Our CCTV unit was set up to help with just this sort of thing," he said.

"Shopwatch already has a direct link to our CCTV system and we will continue to help in any way we can."

Mr McGloin said he was keen to promote the Shopwatch idea in Stokesley and Thirsk.

"It has been a slow start in Thirsk, but there is a cost involved and we need to persuade traders that the cost is worthwhile," he said.

"Stokesley has just got CCTV and we are starting to spread the Shopwatch message there.