A "large quantity" of illegal items were seized from a shop in St Helens earlier this week.
As part of Business Crime Week of Action this week, Merseyside Police have been working with partners to crack down on business crime in the area. From crime prevention activities to increasing engagement in the area, officers also aimed to "disrupt some of the most prolific criminals".
On Thursday, October 20, officers from the St Helens policing team swarmed in on a shop in the St Helens area, believed to be trading items illegally. Working with officers from Trading Standards at St Helens Council, a "large quantity" of items were seized.
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A spokesperson for the St Helens policing team said: "A large quantity of illegal cigarettes, vapes and e-cigarettes were seized which were suspected as being sold to local college students. Some of the items seized were four to five times the legal strength allowed.
The targeted store has not been named by police, but is confirmed to have been in the St Helens area.
Speaking about the National Business Crime Week of Action, Community Policing Chief Inspector Paul Holden said: "Businesses can be affected by a wide variety of crimes and throughout the year our officers are proactively tackling offences ranging from theft, burglary and cybercrime to abusive or violent behaviour directed at staff.
"A Safer Business Action Day is all about partnership working, with the police, business, private security, Business Crime Reduction Partnerships and Business Improvement Districts working together to reduce crime.
"This proactive and collaborative approach allows us to deploy resources into designated locations, and in addition to joint patrolling and the targeting of offenders, we will raise awareness within our communities of the crimes that impact business. We will also demonstrate the importance of tackling crime to protect and safeguard staff in businesses and retail premises"
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