Officers at Whitehill police station are joining their colleagues at Alton and Petersfield to target shoplifters over the festive period.
Building on the success last year of Alton police's pilot project called Operation Ironmill, the initiative has been relaunched across East Hampshire to specifically target shoplifters.
The combination of high visibility uniformed officers supported by under-cover patrols working together to identify problem areas will be at the core of the operation.
A bigger budget will help pay for police overtime so that officers can work throughout the Forest Shopping Centre and the shopping areas of Grayshott and Liphook.
Insp Gerry Thorne said: "Unlike Petersfield and Alton, which has an easily defined shopping area, we don't, so we will be targeting these three individual shopping ares with an initiative."
Insp Thorne said that many of those who shoplift in East Hampshire during the Christmas period are not local and come from larger areas specifically to steal.
He said: "People often decide to shoplift in areas without CCTV because they think that it is easier or that they can get away with it."
Records reveal that shoplifting and public disorder crimes increase during the months of November and December, with more people about and consumption of alcohol rising dramatically.
Alton Inspector Steve Mote said: "The aim is not only to reduce the level of crime and to ensure that people feel safe over the busy Christmas period, but to act as a deterrent to would-be offenders."