The Boots store in Farnham has been reported among the most crime-affected branches in Surrey.

The revelation came as the county’s Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend visited a high-tech nerve centre which tackles retail crime at Boots branches across the country.

Ms Townsend recently travelled to Beeston in Nottinghamshire to see the work of the chain’s CCTV monitoring centre.

In Surrey, 30 of the 36 Boots stores have reported an incident into Auror, a crime reporting network which connects retailers and local police forces, over the past 18 months. The top stores to report are in Farnham Walton-on-Thames.

The hub receives hundreds of alerts a day from its shops in the UK. Staff can press alarms for central support and live monitoring if they have suspicions about a customer.

The facility features 18 huge screens displaying live CCTV feeds. A team of security specialists respond in real time, either taking over a store’s loudspeakers to deter shoplifters, or warning the suspect that they’re being watched. Where a suspect is identified, the local police force is notified.

In 2023, Boots supported Operation Pegasus, a national police operation which uses CCTV and facial recognition technology to target criminals.

Retail crime is a key priority for both the Commissioner and senior leaders at Surrey Police. In the past year, there have been 800 additional shoplifting charges, and the arrest rate for these crimes has more than doubled.

Ms Townsend said: “Retail crime harms communities in Surrey and across the UK.

“It is not a victimless crime. Instead, it leads to fear and loss across huge swathes of our society, from business owners to employees and customers.

“The force is committed to tackling retail crime head on, and to do that, they need reports.

“The tireless work of staff at the Boots CCTV monitoring centre is helping our officers to secure convictions and drive offenders out of our high streets.

“I commend Boots for its investment to protect staff and customers.”

Earlier this year, 22-year-old John Ward, of Ashford, was sentenced to two years in prison after admitting shoplifting items worth more than £60,000.

Goods were stolen from Boots, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Co-op stores in Surrey, Thames Valley, Kent, London, Cleveland, Cheshire and Durham.

Surrey Police arrested Ward after the Boots intelligence hub reported 19 connected incidents to the Force.