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A police unit launched to crack down on the surge in shoplifting has arrested 93 members of 28 organised crime gangs behind more than £4m worth of thefts.

The national team has also identified 228 previously unknown offenders and 70 vehicles involved in retail crime in the seven months since it was launched, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

Police say it’s the first time officers have mapped the gangs targeting shops and supermarkets around the country to see where they’re operating.

Of the 93 people arrested, 32 have appeared in court, while five have been deported.

Three shoplifters believed to be behind around 120 crimes across the country worth at least £200,000 were jailed at Guildford Crown Court last month.

Laura Miron, 27, Ovoliv Firan, 38, and Nicolae Boia, 30, all from west London, stole champagne in one spree worth more than £4,500 as they targeted large supermarkets to steal razors, alcohol and other goods.

Surrey Police said they were key figures in a much larger organised crime gang, responsible for around 800 offences across the country, which has ceased to operate.

The Conservative police and crime commissioner for Sussex, Katy Bourne, said Operation Pegasus, which gathers intelligence on retail crime, has already had a “massive impact”, with the gangs involved also linked to exploitation, human trafficking and slavery.

“The message to the criminals is we know who you are now and we’re coming after you,” she said.

Paul Gerrard, director of campaigns and public affairs for the Co-op, said the retailer has seen the difference the crackdown is making.

“Co-op turned a spotlight on the involvement of organised criminality driving the increase in retail crime and our commitment to local stores and investing to make our communities safer places which can thrive and prosper remains a priority,” he said.

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Official figures released in October showed shoplifting hit a new 20-year high, with a total of 469,788 offences logged by forces in the year to June 2024, up 29% on the 365,173 recorded in the previous 12 months.

Last month, peers wrote to policing minister Dame Diana Johnson saying shop theft was “seriously underreported and not being tackled properly”, risking undermining confidence in the police and the criminal justice system.

Dame Diana praised the “promising initial results” of the police operation but said “we know we need to go much further” to “turn the tide on current unacceptable record levels of shop theft”.

“Retail crime blights our communities and high streets,” she said. “We are determined to crack down on this crime through stronger laws and more neighbourhood policing on our streets.”

Meanwhile, West Mercia Police chief constable Amanda Blakeman warned people to be wary of buying cheap Christmas gifts from unofficial sources.

“We’re asking the community to think about when they buy something, especially at this time of year, if it isn’t from the retailer and it seems incredibly cheap, it probably has got a background that you should be suspicious of and not purchase it,” she said.

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

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Labour MP Dan Norris arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences

Labour MP Dan Norris has been arrested on suspicion of rape and child sex offences.

A Labour Party spokesperson said: “Dan Norris MP was immediately suspended by the Labour Party upon being informed of his arrest.

“We cannot comment further while the police investigation is ongoing.”

Police said a man in his 60s had been arrested on Friday on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl, rape, child abduction and misconduct in a public office.

Sky News has contacted Mr Norris for comment.

Mr Norris, 65, defeated Jacob Rees-Mogg to win the new seat of North East Somerset and Hanham in last year’s general election.

He has also lost the party whip in the House of Commons and has stepped down from his role as chair of the League Against Cruel Sports.

Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: “In December 2024, we received a referral from another police force relating to alleged non-recent child sex offences having been committed against a girl.

“Most of the offences are alleged to have occurred in the 2000s, but we’re also investigating an alleged offence of rape from the 2020s.

“An investigation, led by officers within Operation Bluestone, our dedicated rape and serious sexual assault investigation team, remains ongoing and at an early stage.

“The victim is being supported and given access to any specialist help or support she needs.

“A man, aged in his 60s, was arrested on Friday (April 4) on suspicion of sexual offences against a girl (under the Sexual Offences Act 1956), rape (under the Sexual Offences Act 2003), child abduction and misconduct in a public office. He’s been released on conditional bail for enquiries to continue.

“This is an active and sensitive investigation, so we’d respectfully ask people not to speculate on the circumstances so our enquiries can continue unhindered.”

Mr Norris first entered Parliament when Tony Blair came to power in 1997 and served as the Wansdyke MP until 2010.

He was an assistant whip under Mr Blair and served as a junior minister under Gordon Brown.

Mr Norris has also been West of England mayor since 2021 but is due to step down ahead of May’s local elections.

A spokesman for the League Against Cruel Sports, a UK-based animal welfare charity which campaigns to end sports such as fox hunting and game bird shooting, confirmed he had stepped down from his role.

“The charity cannot comment further while an investigation is ongoing,” a statement said.

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Jaguar Land Rover to ‘pause’ US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

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Jaguar Land Rover to 'pause' US shipments over Donald Trump tariffs

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has said it will “pause” shipments to the US as the British car firm works to “address the new trading terms” of Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The US president has introduced a 25% levy on all foreign cars imported into the country, which came into force on Thursday.

JLR, one of the country’s biggest carmakers, exported about 38,000 cars to the US in the third quarter of 2024 – almost equal to the amount sold to the UK and the EU combined.

Follow live updates: Trump’s baseline 10% tariff kicks in

In a statement on Saturday, a spokesperson for the company behind the Jaguar, Land Rover and Range Rover brands said: “The USA is an important market for JLR’s luxury brands.

“As we work to address the new trading terms with our business partners, we are taking some short-term actions including a shipment pause in April, as we develop our mid- to longer-term plans.”

The company released a statement last week before Mr Trump announced a “baseline” 10% tariff on goods from around the world, which kicked in on Saturday morning, on what he called “liberation day”.

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JLR reassured customers its business was “resilient” and “accustomed to changing market conditions”.

“Our priorities now are delivering for our clients around the world and addressing these new US trading terms,” the firm said.

Trading across the world has been hit by Mr Trump’s tariff announcement at the White House on Wednesday.

All but one stock on the FTSE 100 fell on Friday – with Rolls-Royce, banks and miners among those to suffer the sharpest losses.

Read more: A red wall on Wall Street – but Trump seems to believe it will work out

Cars are the top product exported from the UK to the US, with exports worth £8.3bn in the year to the end of September 2024, according to data from the Office for National Statistics.

For UK carmakers, the US is the second largest export market behind the European Union.

Industry groups have previously warned the tariffs will force firms to rethink where they trade, while a report by thinktank the Institute for Public Policy Research said more than 25,000 car manufacturing jobs in the UK could be at risk.

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

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Two people die after caravan fire at holiday park in Lincolnshire

Two people have died following a fire at a caravan site near Skegness, Lincolnshire Police have said.

In a statement, officers said they were called at 3.53am on Saturday to a report of a blaze at Golden Beach Holiday Park in the village of Ingoldmells.

Fire and rescue crews attended the scene, and two people were found to have died.

They were reported to be a 10-year-old girl and a 48-year-old man.

The force said the victims’ next of kin have been informed and will be supported by specially trained officers.

Officers are trying to establish the exact cause of the blaze.

“We are at the very early stages of our investigation and as such we are keeping an open mind,” the force said.

Two fire crews remain at the scene.

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