Rob Garratt A SNAPSHOT of Fakenham's shoplifting hotspots is today revealed for the first time, in a Times investigation.Shops targeted most by thieves are highlighted by new figures, which lay bare every shoplifting offence in the town over the last five years.

Rob Garratt

A SNAPSHOT of Fakenham's shoplifting hotspots is today revealed for the first time, in a Times investigation.

Shops targeted most by thieves are highlighted by new figures, which lay bare every shoplifting offence in the town over the last five years.

More than 40 different shops in Fakenham have been struck by thieves more than 100 times since the beginning of 2005.

The town has seen a recent surge in offending, with the number of shop thefts doubling in the last five years.

But police sources show less than a third of thieves walk free, with 72pc of crimes resulting in charges, cautions, fines or disposed of in other ways.

Tesco tops the list of hotspots after being targeted 15 times in the last five years. Close behind is Budgens and Morrions, hit 13 times apiece, and Boots, targeted 10 times.

Fakenham has seen shoplifting rates spiral from 16 offences in 2005, to 29 in 2008, to a peak of 32 last year.

A Morrisons spokesman said the store had a range of ongoing security measures. Tesco said its store would continue to work closely with local police.

Fakenham sees less than a quarter of the number of shoplifting offences in Dereham, where there were 593 thefts over the last five years.

Dereham's big supermarkets were the biggest victims, with Tesco topping the list with 60 thefts in the last five years. Close behind was Roys, which which was a victim of 59 thefts, while there are 58 on file at Morrisons.

Dereham has seen shoplifting rates rise from just 78 offences in 2005 to a peak of 158 incidents in 2008, falling to 133 crimes last year. Less than one in five thieves walk free, with 83pc of crimes resulting in charges, cautions, fines or methods of disposal.