Prolific Mansfield shoplifter is locked up and banned from town centre

Calum Jackson, aged 41, was most recently found in possession of several boxes of stolen chocolates when he was stopped by an officer in Nottingham Road, Mansfield, on Monday morning.

Jackson, of Chadburn Road, Mansfield, pleaded guilty the following day to a charge of theft and was jailed for three months.

Mansfield Magistrates’ Court also granted a pre-existing application for a Criminal Behaviour Order against Jackson, who has multiple other convictions for theft.

The order, applied for by Nottinghamshire Police, prohibits Jackson from entering Mansfield town centre, local retail parks and the B & M Bargains store in Baums Lane.

It also prohibits him from begging anywhere in the district, and compels him to take part in a drug rehabilitation programme.

Any breach of that order could result in Jackson’s immediate return to jail.

The order is the latest in a line of successful applications by the Mansfield neighbourhood policing team, which has focussed recent efforts on identifying and targeting the most prolific local shop thieves.

A seperate team, also based at Mansfield Police Station, is also working to tackle organised criminal gangs targeting local retail parks.

Inspector Kylie Davies, district commander for Mansfield, said: “The majority of shop thefts in the local area are carried out by a relatively small number of repeat offenders.

“These people are routinely stealing high value goods to sell – often to fund damaging addictions to illegal drugs.

“We have been working hard over the last six months to identify who these people are and what motivates them to keep committing these offences.

“As a result we have been able to secure multiple criminal behaviours against repeat offenders which give us far more power to regulate their behaviour.

“As well as banning people from various locations, these orders can also compel people like Jackson to address the root cause of their offending.

"That is a good thing for everyone involved and another reason why we will continue to make applications to the courts for these orders.”