BECAUSE convicted shoplifters are usually released from jail within eight weeks, town centre police find themselves constantly re-arresting the usual suspects. Reporter IAN SINGLETON shadowed town-centre officers to see how a police partnership with shop security staff tackles this recurring problem.

PC GRAHAM Davies opens the door and, breaking into an ironic smile, greets the person by exclaiming their name like headmaster to notorious pupil.

It is an encounter which says a lot about just how much police deal with the usual shoplifting suspects in Blackburn.

The woman accused of theft sits at the table in a small room, tucked away from shoppers' view in the office area of a town centre shop.

She appears weary of PC Davies, even though he has only been there for seconds.

A tall security guard stands behind her, close to the door.

The worker who spotted the suspected theft of ladies' razor blades is sat opposite diligently filling in a witness statement.

PC Davies, a vastly experienced officer who has worked in Blackburn town centre for 10 years, continues in a jovial manner.

His observations, such as "you have a lot of layers on there" and "we haven't seen you for a while", are met with a grunting irritation that suggests the suspected thief would rather just get on with it.

Yet there is also a sympathetic tone to his dialogue, especially when he confiscates a small pair of scissors. "I'm sure you won't get nasty, but we've got to do it," he tells her.

Quickly, the woman seems to become resigned to her impending arrest and maintains a tense silence until she is taken into custody.

If found guilty of shoplifting, the woman can expect a maximum of sixth months imprisonment, which translates to between four and eight actual weeks behind bars.

And this punishment would come from the strictest judge to offenders with the longest conviction history.

It is because of this that police constantly find themselves having to re-arrest the same people, who they get to know very well.

PS Phil Davies, in charge of town centre policing, said: "The friendly-approach is absolutely vital to build up a working relationship with them.

"It goes back to the history of policing -- that you should know all the criminals on your patch.

"It helps to deal with them effectively, although a significant majority have drug habits and are stealing to support their habits.

"It would help if they got more treatment in prison, but two months in jail is not long enough to deal with drugs problems."

He added that people jailed for burglary were placed into intensive drug rehabilitation programmes to break the addictions fuelling their criminal behaviour.

But, PS Davies said, shoplifters did not receive the same help and as a result it was not long after their release from prison that they returned to crime to fund their habits.

In Blackburn there are about 12 such "very active shoplifters", according to police - a tiny proportion of the 180,000 shoppers who can come to the town each week.

Their photographs are distributed to all 79 stores who are involved in the town-centre shopwatch link-up with police.

A radio system keeps the stores directly in touch with officers.

As well as saving potentially-vital seconds through by-passing the police call centre, it also proves useful in sharing intelligence about sightings of the prolific shoplifters.