Two men have been arrested after a crackdown on shop-lifting and theft.

Police patrols have been on high alert after a string of recent thefts in Tunbridge Wells.

A town centre constable arrested one suspect just moments after hundreds of pounds worth of perfume had been stolen from Boots in Calverley Road. Daniel Findra was detained after he was seen leaving the store shortly after 9am on September 29.

Findra, 36, of no fixed address, appeared before Medway Magistrates’ Court the next day and pleaded guilty to four counts of theft. He was ordered to carry out 100 hours of community work and to pay compensation totalling almost £800.

In a separate case, officers investigating two break-ins at a restaurant in Grove Hill Road last month, where cash and a computer tablet were stolen, have arrested a 43-year-old man from Tunbridge Wells.

He is also being investigated over the theft of a bicycle and a washing machine. He has been released on bail pending the outcome of further investigations.

Sgt Ed Kavanagh, of the Tunbridge Wells Community Policing Team, said: "Along with plain clothes officers who blend in with the crowds, we use visible targeted patrols in order to gain valuable intelligence and identify potential offenders."

Sgt Kavanagh said: "Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and it is certainly not something we are willing to tolerate in this town.

"Offenders like Findra can have a drastic effect on businesses, which often have little choice but to pass on the cost of thefts to law-abiding customers."