Sussex Police first in the country to fit monitoring tags to prolific shoplifters

Wednesday, 15 October 2025 10:02

By V2 RADIO X @V2RadioSussex

A national first for Sussex Police, it’s begun tagging repeat shoplifters to track their movements.

Two offenders from Eastbourne and Hastings will wear ankle devices for a year and are barred from going back to the shops they targeted.

 

Under the Operation STOP pilot, repeat shoplifting offenders will be issued with Buddi tags - discreet GPS ankle devices - as part of a CBO or with agreement from probation services.

These tags allow police to monitor offenders’ movements in real time, helping to deter further offences and enabling swift action if breaches or tampering occur.

 

Victoria Hale

At Brighton Magistrates' Court on 19 September, Victoria Hale, 50, of Command Road in Eastbourne, became the first person to be fitted with a Buddi tag after being given a two-year CBO off the back of guilty pleas to 12 shoplifting charges.

The tag excludes Hale from a 30m area around the Co-Op in Albert Road, Eastbourne, for 12 months.

Barry Farthing

Earlier this month - following an entirely separate investigation - Barry Farthing, 41, was jailed for eight months and given a Criminal Behaviour Order including a location monitoring tag following a six-week shoplifting spree earlier this year.

Farthing repeatedly targeted supermarkets in East Sussex between 18 August and 30 September, stealing items often on consecutive days.

Officers had already been investigating him for 76 previous shoplifting related charges committed between January and March of this year.

Farthing was arrested, charged with 46 counts of theft from a shop and remanded into custody.

The 41-year-old, of Hughenden Road, Hastings appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on 1 October and pleaded guilty to all offences.

He was jailed for eight months and given a Criminal Behaviour Order. This outlines that upon release, Farthing has been ordered to wear a location monitoring tag for 12 months.

He has also been banned from entering a 40-metre radius of the Co-Op in Parkstone Parade, Hastings, and from entering any Co-Operative or Tesco store in East Sussex during the same period.

Chief Superintendent Katy Woolford said: “Shoplifting has an enormous impact on businesses and the wider community.

"We will use all of the tools at our disposal to support businesses and ensure that prolific offenders are brought to justice.

"In Sussex we are leading the way with this innovative scheme to tackle repeat offenders, and we will continue to work closely with our partners to protect our business community."

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne said: “For the first time ever, Operation STOP (Shop Theft Offender Project) is taking direct aim at prolific shoplifters - using electronic tags to deter repeat offending.

"I am delighted to see our Sussex pilot project already delivering real results – successful court outcomes that actively tackle repeat shop theft and help to protect local businesses.”

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