A LINDFORD shopkeeper has invested in £4,000 worth of CCTV equipment in order to combat thieves operating in his shop.

He said shoplifting has always been a problem in the shop, but recently it "has been getting progressively worse".

The equipment is up and running at Lindford Village Post Office in Elmfield Court, off Liphook Road, where eight cameras now film all parts of the store. The owner of the shop, Julian Taylor-Green, said that since their installation five weeks ago, they have caught eight petty thieves on film.

He said the problem was not just down to teenagers, but that footage had captured a lot of individuals in their 20s, and men over 30, stealing.

One man was recently caught trying to steal a can of lager worth £1.69, and in the past, staff have caught individuals trying to steal penny chews, chocolate, drinks, and beer. They even caught someone trying to steal The Sun newspaper last year.

On Sunday, January 8, CCTV footage captured an individual loading goods into his trousers and jacket.

Mr Taylor-Green also said his vigilant staff are on high alert if anyone is in the store with whom "they are not comfortable" or who "looks suspicious".

He said the problem with the old video system was it would show thieves taking items from the shelves, but did not give full coverage of the store, so thieves could not be fully tracked. This meant it was difficult to tell whether potentially stolen items had been put down again, or further items picked up, which, in turn, made prosecution difficult.

He said: "We decided to invest in a new CCTV at the end of last year."

Now cameras cover the whole store and it is possible to catch and prosecute thieves with a much higher success rate.

Staff around the store can also help the police if they witness any stealing.

Mr Taylor-Green said: "We see people taking stuff and it's one in the basket, one in the jacket, one in the basket, one in the jacket.

"All the information can be handed to police, who then act on our behalf."

He said the shop has a policy of prosecuting for theft and that if the police will not prosecute, he will take individuals through the civil courts.

Mr Taylor-Green highlighted the fact that although a few penny sweets or a newspaper might not cost much, over a period of years, the continual loss of goods adds up to hundreds of pounds.