Anyone caught shoplifting in Pembroke or Pembroke Dock could find themselves banned from more than 70 local businesses, thanks to a new partnership with the police.

Pembroke Dock Neighbourhood Policing Team has teamed up with traders in the town as part of the Steal and Be Banned (SABB) scheme.

Anyone prosecuted, cautioned or issued with a fixed penalty notice for shoplifting could face a ban from the business they stole from and all local stores signed up to the scheme.

Bans can range from three to 12 months.

“We have 71 businesses signed up to the scheme so far, and five people have already been banned for a year for their involvement in shoplifting offences,” said Sergeant Lewis Simpson.

“The local business community now has a coordinated approach in relation to shoplifting and security issues, with regular information sharing between individual businesses.”

The local SABB committee will meet once a month to discuss relevant local offenders and vote on whether a ban will be used, and for how long it will apply.

Scheme members will display a sticker within their store, and anyone who is banned will be given a list of stores from which they are now banned.