Why Liskeard shop owners are turning to a crime-fighting app

If you’ve noticed a shopkeeper looking a bit more watchful at the till lately, you’re not imagining it.

The BBC recently turned its attention to shoplifting across Devon and Cornwall, speaking to retailers who deal with theft, abuse and sometimes violence just for doing their jobs. One shopkeeper in Torquay described being dragged across the counter after refusing to serve a customer. It’s the kind of story that makes clear shoplifting isn’t some abstract crime figure. There’s always a person behind it, a business owner, a member of staff, a customer, dealing with what’s left over.

What the figures actually show

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, says tackling retail crime has been a priority of hers because of the effect it has on town centres, high streets and communities.

According to her own figures, the picture is better than people might expect. Devon and Cornwall has one of the lowest shoplifting rates in the country, seventh lowest nationally, and recorded offences fell 9.1 per cent in the year to March 2026, from 11,142 down to 10,124.

But Alison argues that the numbers only tell part of the story. For years, she says, retailers told her that reporting theft felt too time-consuming, with little confidence anything would come of it. And when crime goes unreported, police can’t build a clear picture of what’s happening, spot repeat offenders or put resources where they’re needed.

The app changing how Liskeard shops report crime

That’s the thinking behind a push to make reporting easier. Earlier this year, the Commissioner’s office visited Liskeard to meet Police Community Support Officer Rebecca Steed and see the UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC) system in use.

UKPAC is an online portal, also available as a smartphone app, that lets businesses report crimes and share intelligence with each other and with the police. Rebecca demonstrated how retailers can quickly log incidents along with images and CCTV footage, information that can then reach neighbouring businesses and officers far faster than the old paperwork route. She said the system is capturing incidents that might previously have gone unrecorded altogether, while giving officers a clearer picture of repeat offenders working across an area, which in turn helps neighbourhood policing spot patterns and respond to concerns raised locally.

Does it actually put people off?

Asked in a BBC interview whether UKPAC acts as a deterrent, Alison’s answer was yes, but only up to a point. Most people are put off by the risk of getting caught, she says, but those already committed to a life of crime often aren’t. That’s precisely why easier reporting matters. It helps police identify prolific offenders, build a case against them and take action before they cause more harm.

It’s also why the headline numbers need a second look. A rise in reporting doesn’t automatically mean more crime is happening. Sometimes it means victims are finally coming forward, evidence is being captured, and businesses have more confidence that something will actually be done. That, Alison says, is exactly the shift she wants to see.

Alongside prosecuting people who steal from businesses, she points to the root causes too. Repeat offenders are often battling addiction or mental health problems, which is why she backs organisations delivering treatment, and why she encourages anyone struggling to reach out for support.

Shoplifting remains one of the most common theft offences reported to police across the two counties, more than 10,000 in the year to March 2026 alone. Whether that number keeps falling may come down to how many shopkeepers pick up the app Rebecca Steed was demonstrating in Liskeard.

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