​SCUNTHORPE shopkeepers are cautious about a new Humberside Police initiative in the battle against low-value thefts.

In a trial in Grimsby, shop workers are being asked to note down incidents of petty theft below the value of £20 rather than dial 999.

Then a PCSO will visit every couple of weeks to collect information from shopkeepers’ log books in a bid to tackle antisocial behaviour and theft.

If the scheme is successful, it could be introduced to shops in Scunthorpe soon.

A Humberside Police spokesman said: “This scheme is currently in the early stages of being trialled in North East Lincolnshire.

“However, if successful, there would be nothing preventing it from being adopted in other areas of the force if appropriate.”

But shopkeepers in Scunthorpe have still to be convinced of the merits of the scheme and worry details provided in logbooks would not be enough to catch offenders.

Manager of the Wells Street corner shop John Singh said: “If someone comes in they’re not going to give you their name and address. How would we get enough details to help the police?

“It’s getting out of hand. We’ve got people stealing 15p lollies and there are thefts nearly every day.

“This is grown-ups stealing cans of pop. What are we supposed to do?”

Mr Singh said the cost of low-level crime soon adds up and is resigned to the fact it will always be there.

“We just have to be vigilant,” said Mr Singh. “It’s something I’ve had to accept.

“We keep expensive products like bottles of vodka behind the counter so they won’t get nicked.

“We have to put our prices up to cover all the thefts.”

He said the police take low-level crime seriously, but it is a complex issue.

“I’ve spoken to police and they say theft is theft,” said Mr Singh.

“I feel embarrassed ringing the police for something that cost 99p, but I don’t know how writing things on a list would work.”

Despite the concerns of shopkeepers, Humberside Police believe it has real promise.

Inspector Will Jenkins, Humberside Police’s lead for retail crime in North East Lincolnshire, was pivotal in drafting up the new initiative.

He said: “Currently, it can be quite time-consuming when you call the police with an incident and the investigation for some of the crimes can take time.

“The idea is when something happens the retailer fills in the details and once every two weeks a local PCSO will go around and look through their diary and discuss the needs of the retailer.

“From there we can come up with a plan to tackle the problems.

“The idea is it focuses on low-level antisocial behaviour and shop theft under £20.

“I have full confidence it will help reduce shop thefts.”

HS Sekhon, owner of the newsagents in Cole Street, Scunthorpe, said: “It doesn’t matter what they are stealing, theft is still theft, so it should be punished.

“What’s the point of somebody coming in your shop and stealing and you cannot do anything about it – it’s sad.”

And Neil Poole, chairman for the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Business crime should not be treated as a second-class crime and theft is a theft no matter how small the amount.”