A specialist Organised Retail Crime (ORC) team within Opal (policing’s national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime) has made 257 arrests in its first two years of operation.
Funded by the Home Office and the Pegasus Partnership – a collaboration between retailers and policing – the ORC team collects and coordinates intelligence from retailers and police forces.
Since the unit was launched two years ago in May 2024, it has supported 203 referrals from retailers and police forces, resulting in 84 operations to tackle organised crime gangs targeting the retail sector.
A total of 605 offenders have been identified and tens of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods recovered.
Stephanie Coombes, Head of Intelligence for Opal, said:
“The team takes referrals from retailers of any size, whether they are part of the Pegasus Partnership or not, and will work in different ways to develop intelligence. This could be as simple as identifying an offender, linked offenders and/or vehicles through the Police National Database, looking at patterns of offending and MO’s which are repeated and working with retailers to share information packs about prolific offenders.
“The team will then support police forces through an investigation, sharing intelligence, but also working with the Crown Prosecution Service and additional agencies as required.”
Last year, the Home Office announced a £5m investment to fund Opal’s ORC unit until March 2028.
Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for acquisitive crime, said:
“This significant funding is enabling us to build on the successes of the last two years, as well as grow the team to focus on disrupting those at the top of the OCG hierarchy, targeting the disposal of goods and the threat on supply chains.
“The work of Opal is crucial in providing support to police forces so they are not working in isolation and can better work with retailers to tackle those offenders who are operating across the country and causing the most harm.
“Partnership and collaboration are vital in our fight against retail crime, policing cannot do this alone and through the Pegasus Partnership we have built strong relationships and information sharing which enables us to target resources where they are needed most.”
The Pegasus Partnership, which was spearheaded by PCC Katy Bourne, was set up in October 2023 to improve cross-agency working through better information sharing, best practice and upskilling.
Katy Bourne, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner, said:
“Two years from its launch, the Opal team has delivered some significant blows to organised retail crime gangs. This unique national intelligence unit has shown just what police can achieve by being bold, thinking differently and working in partnership with the retail industry.
“I am delighted that the commitment and support we received from retailers has paid off, with a huge reduction in crimes against the sector and an excellent picture of the crime gangs causing the highest harm.
“From my very first meeting of our Pegasus Partnership it was clear that police and retailers needed to collaborate much more closely and share vital information to understand the threat from organised retail crime gangs and how to disrupt them.
“Pegasus provided the leadership, initiative and funding to shake up our approach to retail crime – and the Opal team is delivering the results.
“I hope the Government will focus on its promise to fund Opal into the future so it can continue its ground-breaking work.”
