A PROLIFIC thief who stole items worth more than £1,500 from shops across South Devon, including Dawlish, Newton Abbot and Teignmouth, has been jailed.

Ben Dennis Williams, aged 23 of Chestnut Avenue, Exeter, appeared at Exeter Magistrates’ Court on June 23, where he pleaded guilty to 22 counts of shop theft.

The offences took place between March 26 and June 17 this year and involved stores including Co-op locations in Teignmouth and Dawlish, Tesco in Torquay and Newton Abbot, Costcutter Dawlish, Sainsbury’s Newton Abbot, and John Lewis and TK Maxx in Exeter.

Williams stole items including bottles of wine, meat, coffee, laundry products, baby clothes, energy drinks, cosmetic products and chocolate.

He was sentenced to a total of nine months’ imprisonment.

The majority of offences were committed at Co-op stores in Dawlish and Teignmouth.

Through their membership of the Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Business Crime Reduction Partnership, created by UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC), these businesses were able to work collaboratively with police and other retailers to build a stronger evidential picture of offending behaviour.

PC Ange Comber, from the South Devon Crime Management Investigation Team, said: ‘This was a sustained period of offending which had a real impact on a number of businesses and their staff.

‘By working closely with retailers and gathering evidence across multiple locations, we were able to demonstrate the full extent of Williams’ offending to the court.

‘I hope this outcome reassures businesses that we take shop theft seriously and will pursue offenders through the courts’.

Devon & Cornwall Police’s Business and Crime Prevention Sergeant Chris Chaloner added: ‘This outcome highlights the value of businesses working together and alongside policing through the Business Crime Reduction Partnership.

‘By sharing information, evidence, and intelligence collectively, we are able to identify patterns of offending more quickly and take robust action against repeat offenders.

‘Partnership working doesn’t just support investigations - it helps prevent crime in the first place, protects staff, and strengthens the resilience of our local business community.

‘We recognise the challenges retailers are facing, and we are committed to supporting them by encouraging collaboration and making it easier to report incidents and share vital information’.

As part of the partnership, some businesses utilised a crime intelligence platform to submit CCTV and statements efficiently, helping officers progress investigations more quickly.

However, these tools form just one element of a broader approach focused on prevention, intelligence-sharing and joint working between businesses and policing.

Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly, Alison Hernandez, commented: ‘This case proves what we have known for some time. UKPAC is a game changer.

‘I’d like to say a big thank you to the businesses in Dawlish and Teignmouth who, by using this excellent time-saving reporting tool, helped the police and the courts take such firm action’.

Gareth Lewis, CEO UK Partners Against Crime added: ‘This case shows how retailers, technology partners and the police can work together to tackle prolific offenders. The stores involved used UKPAC's crime reporting platform to report incidents, allowing our Crime Analysts to review the information and build a clear picture of the offender's activity across multiple thefts.

‘By using our Direct to Police Reporting technology, CCTV, witness statements and supporting evidence were transferred seamlessly into policing systems, saving considerable time for both officers and store colleagues while helping to ensure the offender was charged with all 22 offences’.