Plainclothes police are cracking down on theft in the run-up to Christmas at Oxford shopping centres.

Officers are patrolling Templars Square shopping centre, Oxford Retail Park and the John Allen Centre in Cowley, and Sainsbury's at Heyford Hill.

In the first week of the operation, from December 2-8, offences were down by 50 per cent. There were 12 crimes compared to 24 during the same period in 2001 at the four centres.

Sgt Sarah Price, head of the team of five "proactive" officers involved, said she was optimistic the initiative would continue to reduce crime.

The shopping centres account for about 20 per cent of crime in the Rose Hill, Littlemore and Blackbird Leys areas, which Sgt Price and her colleagues cover.

Plainclothes police have operated in Oxford city centre since February and will continue during the Christmas period.

Officers target opportunist thieves who steal wallets, bags, credit cards and mobile phones from shoppers and people visiting bars and clubs at night. As a result, such thefts have been reduced by 12 per cent since April in the centre of Oxford.

Dave Whitlam, customer services manager at Templars Square shopping centre, praised the police effort.

He said: "It's a great help to us and the shops benefit."

He said there was a major problem in the area with drug addicts shoplifting to try to get money, and he urged police to mount similar patrols throughout the year.