Seventy stores are taking part in the scheme

Offenders are to be immediately banned from stores and issued with an enforcement notice as part of the tough new measures.

The scheme called Radiolink and jointly set up by North Wales Police, Wrexham council and local stores was launched on Saturday.

The first exclusion notice has already been served on a thief caught stealing at the weekend.

Anyone caught under the initiative is immediately issued with a two year ban from the 70 shops in Wrexham town centre who have signed up to the project.

At the moment I would say about 75% of reported shoplifting crime in the town centre is committed by the same 50 or 60 people PC Steve Hughes

If offenders go back to the store and repeat their shoplifting they will be prosecuted for burglary, a charge that carries a far higher penalty.

PC Steve Hughes - one of two police officers on the beat in Wrexham town centre - said shoplifting was a real problem.

"At the moment I would say about 75% of reported shoplifting crime in the town centre is committed by the same 50 or 60 people.

"If we can exclude them, we can cut down on the number of shoplifting incidents reported to police and free up our time and make the town centre a better place.

"They will be excluded for two years from all the shops on the list," he said.

Exclusion order

Stores already take part in the radiolink scheme lease radios from the local authority.

Managers use the radios to keep in touch with fellow stores, creating a system warning of known offenders spotted in the vicinity.

Wrexham Council's town centre manager Isabel Watson said the scheme sent out a strong message.

"If anyone is abusive or aggressive in a shop to either a member of the public or a member of staff then they can also be made the subject of an exclusion order.

"If they re-offend and enter the shop they can be prosecuted for burglary rather than shoplifting.

"The scheme is only as successful as the shops who are members in it.

"We can really keep tabs on what is going on in the town centre," she said.