A police force has said it is cracking down on shoplifting in a Norfolk town in the run-up to Christmas.

Norfolk Police have launched Operation Wonderland, which will see officers team up with businesses across King’s Lynn and west Norfolk.

The city council has a control room with more than 11,000 video surveillance feeds, making it possible to detect any potential theft in real time.

Inspector Ben Jarvis of Norfolk Police said: “Without this CCTV… we wouldn’t be able to do half of what we do.”

King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council’s business operations manager David Morton said the team frequently received calls from police asking for help locating suspects.

“They saw people running down the street with bags and boxes, overfilled bags and objects hidden in their jackets,” he said.

The figures published by the Office for National Statistics in July showed that reports of shoplifting increased by 26.3% year-over-year in Norfolk.

The force said it was the largest increase of any recorded crime in the county, which was in line with the national trend.

Inspector Ben Jarvis said the CCTV was “incredibly vital”.

“With the help of CCTV operators picking these people up as soon as possible, it not only gives us a chance to locate the offenders but also gives us a chance to gather as many goods for the stores.

“I think the increase in reports of shoplifting is actually a sign that people are happy that we can address this problem when they report it.”