Nine shoppers have been banned and multiple charges laid as a result of an ACT Policing operation to target anti-social behaviour and retail theft at major shopping centres.

In a media statement, ACT Policing said the Proactive Intervention and Diversion Team, Territory Targeting Team, and Community Engagement Team conducted joint operations at shopping centres across the ACT to quickly identify and address individuals who were doing the wrong thing.  

This operation saw officers working in collaboration with centre management, onsite security and retailers to identify those people conducting thefts and anti-social behaviour as the incidents occurred.   

To date, ACT Policing and relevant shopping centres have taken a range of actions from supporting the issuing of banning notices through to the application of criminal charges. These include: 

• 9 banning notices issued 
• 4 x criminal cautions issued 
• 4 x charges of criminal trespass 
• 5 x breach of bail 
• 1 x charge unlawful possession stolen property 
• 5 x charge of theft 
• 1 x charge of property damage 
• 1 x charge breach good behaviour order 
• 1 x hinder Territory Public Official 
• 1 x resist Territory Public Official 

While some officers were patrolling in uniform, others were in plain clothes and in some situations were able to witness and intervene as the incidents occurred.  

Targeted operations involving uniformed and plain clothes officers will continue in the coming weeks and months. Put simply – from now on, anyone in a shopping centre could be an on-duty police officer, ready to respond as required.  

Police remind anyone who witnesses a crime to call police on 131 444 for non-urgent matters. If you wish to provide information about criminal behaviour, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via the Crime Stoppers ACT website. 

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