Traders in Bridgnorth are being urged to attend a meeting to discuss ways to crack down on shoplifters in the run-up to the festive season.

Gangs of criminals are expected to target the town’s shops over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas with more people visiting shops to buy their festive gifts. And Pamela Becke, the town’s CCTV co-ordinator, said they were adamant they would do everything possible to deter the festive thieves.

The meeting is being held on November 22 at 5pm in the town hall where advice will be given to shopkeepers on how they can protect their businesses.

The town has a Shopwatch scheme with more than 20 members but more traders are being invited to join up.

Mrs Becke said: “Most of the shops have had letters about this. There are new shops and people who may decide they would like to come to it.”

She said: “From now until Christmas, especially December, we shall get a lot of shoplifters. If more shops got radios they can contact each other at the touch of a button.

“We are warning shoplifters, ‘don’t come here, we will catch you’.”

Mrs Becke said she found a lot of shops with radios were apprehensive of using them.

But she said shops would be shown how to use the radios at the meeting, which has been organised by Bridgnorth Town Council.

She said a lot of shops had also bought their own radios but was not sure how many that was.

Mrs Becke said: “Shoplifting is consistent all through the year. When we get more shops on the radios and more people in the CCTV system, I am sure we can deter shoplifters a lot more.”

She said the radios would be a better system if more of the shops got involved.

Mrs Becke added: “We want to make Bridgnorth a nice place to come to shop without any shoplifters.”

Anne Wilson, town council clerk, said: “The meeting is about how best we can maintain the Shopwatch radios in the future, and also talk about how they can work together in the period leading up to Christmas on shoplifters and working with the CCTV.”

By Lisa Rowley