Faces of 12 people banned from dozens of shops and entire parts of a town

'This has been an effective tool to prevent further crime'

The faces of 12 people banned from dozens of stores and from entire areas of a town have been released by police. All 12 have been slapped with hard-hitting Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs), which will remain in force for years in some of the cases.

Three men and a woman - part of the 12 - are banned from entering any Co-op store throughout the whole of Greater Manchester, police said.

Others are banned from particular areas of Stockport, including the town centre, as well as from other named stores like B&M Bargains, Tesco and Sainsbury's. Bans are in force for specific shopping precincts and streets. Another of the 12 - Mark Swindells - is also prevented from entering any Greggs store across Greater Manchester.

The hard-hitting orders, said Greater Manchester Police, ban 'repeat offenders' from entering defined areas or certain shops. They can also prohibit behaviour and begging. Civil powers like Criminal Behaviour Orders are available for use on conviction in court.

Chief Inspector Clare Ryle said Operation Rimini has been launched in Stockport to combat shoplifting. She said: "We understand the frustrations from businesses and the general public when some people feel they are able to shoplift routinely, therefore putting up the cost for everyone else.

"That is why we are tackling shoplifting right across Stockport and taking the necessary action.

"Working closely with local businesses we have been able to reduce shoplifting using Criminal Behaviour Orders that restrict offenders from entering a designated area. This has been an effective tool to prevent further crime. We will continue with this proactive police work, pursuing and bringing repeat offenders to justice." Police said all the orders in force relate to theft offences.

The 12 people with CBOs are:

• Kelsey Atwell until April 2027. Banned from entering 17 different stores in the town, as well as entering the town centre.
• Mark Swindells until March 2027. He's banned from entering any branch of Co-op, Greggs or Tesco within Greater Manchester.
• Darren Sweeney until October 2027. Sweeney's banned from any Co-op store in Greater Manchester.
• Rachael Culverwell until September 2026. She's banned from every Co-op, One Stop and Poundland store in Greater Manchester.
• Emma Atwell until July 2026. She's banned from the Merseyway Shopping Centre, Warren Street and the Peel Centre, as well as from every Sainsbury's store in Greater Manchester.
• Martin Smith until March 2026. He's banned from Merseyway in Stockport.
• Stephen Ridgway until September 2026. He's banned from every Co-op shop in Greater Manchester.
• Lorne Newman until September 2026. She, too, is banned from every Co-op shop in Greater Manchester.
• Natalie Price until May 2026. She's banned from the Peel Centre as well as every B&M and Marks and Spencer store in Greater Manchester.
• Dean Bower until October 2027. He's banned from the Co-op store on Wellington Road South, Stockport.
• Dominic Barragan until February 2027. He's banned from several shops including The Range and Hobbycraft at the Peel Centre, and every Co-op shop in Greater Manchester.
• Christopher Lawrence Butler until January 2027. He's banned from the Co-op stores on Wellington Road South and Hall Street, Stockport.

Chief Superintendent John-Paul Ruffle said: "CBOs are a valuable tool to fight crime across Greater Manchester, ensuring that offenders are starved of the areas in which they operate and cause a persistent nuisance to people’s lives.

"The breach of one of the orders can result in an arrest and even imprisonment, which acts as a deterrent to those who think they can cause harm and issues whenever they feel like they want to. In addition, CBOs can last anywhere from a few months to being indefinite, meaning that the worst offenders can be prevented from their criminal behaviour for the foreseeable future.”

Police said arrests for shoplifting in Stockport are up by almost 50 per cent over the past 12 months.

The number of criminal charges being brought, meanwhile, has risen by 45 per cent.