Retail thieves kept Plymouth Township police busy in March, with officers logging 93 shoplifting incidents in a single month. Police say those cases led to 56 arrests, with 33 incidents still under active investigation. Of the 93 reports, 50 were cleared by arrest, 10 now have active warrants and nine were declined for prosecution.
The March totals appear in the department’s monthly Retail Theft Roundup on its CRIMEWATCH page, a running log of retail cases that drills down into individual incidents. The same figures were reported by Newport Dispatch, which noted that the March roundup breaks activity down by case status and includes case notes, images and location details for many of the open investigations.
Police Post Suspect Photos, Ask For Tips
Local coverage points out that these retail-theft roundups are not just for bookkeeping. Plymouth Township police regularly post surveillance stills, store locations and estimates of stolen merchandise in an effort to shake loose tips and discourage repeat visits from chronic shoplifters along busy shopping corridors such as the Metroplex Mall.
6abc reported that investigators are asking anyone who recognizes a person of interest in those images to call 610-233-0585 or email [email protected]. Police say even small details from people who were in the store at the time can help move an investigation from the open file to the closed stack.
Where This Fits In A Broader Trend
The flurry of March cases in Plymouth lines up with what retailers nationwide say they have been seeing. According to the National Retail Federation, average shoplifting incidents jumped 93 percent in 2023 compared with 2019, a spike that has helped fuel calls for tighter coordination among federal, state and local authorities.
Plymouth Township police say the public roundups are meant to nudge witnesses and loss-prevention staff to come forward so lingering cases can be closed out. Anyone with information about March incidents can contact the department’s tip line at 610-233-0585 or email [email protected]. Anonymous tips are accepted.
