Second thief arrested as Operation Rudolph cracks down on festive crime in Skegness

By Chrissie Redford
Published 28th Dec 2023, 20:25 BST
Two men have ben arrested in Operation Rudolph.Two men have ben arrested in Operation Rudolph.
Two men have ben arrested in Operation Rudolph.
A second man has been charged with a shop theft offence as officers in the Skegness Neighbourhood Policing Team crack down on offending over the Christmas period.

Brian Dockerty (54), of no fixed address, will appear at Boston Magistrates’ Court on January 10 to face a charge of theft following an incident reported to have taken place at Asda in Skegness on 21 December.He is alleged to have stolen biscuits to the value of £37, as well as a subsequent breach of his court bail which prohibited him from entering any retail premise in the town other than JD Sports, Iceland, and Rowland Pharmacy.Dockerty was arrested on Christmas Eve and remanded into custody until Boxing Day where he appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court and was released on court bail until his next hearing in Boston in January. His previous bail conditions remain.His arrest is part of proactive policing for Operation Rudolph over the festive season, which tackles opportunistic crime to help keep our communities safe.In the five days running up to Christmas, the local Skegness Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) ensured officers and PCSOs were out on foot in busy shopping locations in the town as a deterrent to thieves who may try to take advantage of busy shopping centres and supermarkets.They have also been following up on intelligence and providing proactive advice to businesses and residents on steering clear of criminals who may take advantage of the holiday period.Community Beat Manager PC Billy Spence said: “Skegness was hit hard in November for shop theft offences, and rightly, our business community and the wider public look to the police to take action."We’ve been out on the streets, working with retail premises, and following up on ongoing investigations, as well as working on community and police-led intelligence about offending. We hope that the news of the two people being charged, along with the other efforts of the team, will show the community how seriously we take taking this type of crime on their behalf.”To find out more on Operation Rudolph visit Operation Rudolph - don't let criminals ruin Christmas visit Lincolnshire Police at lincs.police.uk.