SHOPLIFTERS and known troublemakers will no longer face bans from Poole’s Dolphin Centre and Falkland Square.

The scrapping of exclusion notices, which banned people from premises in the town centre, has raised fears that an important deterrent has been removed.

The move comes despite reports of a sharp rise in shoplifting during the economic downturn, with offences up as much as 30 per cent in some areas.

Poole Against Retail Crime (PARC) said, under a re-launched initiative, they would not be issuing any new bans to offenders.

Exclusions already in force will stand but a Daily Echo source said the relaxation was “a welcome” to potential thieves.

The source said the “safe zone” covered by bans would effectively be removed.

But Greg Buxton, PARC manager, said there was still “robust” protection in place for retailers.

He said: “Retailers should not worry that this single element is being removed.

“Our schemes are under constant review to ensure the most effective prevention and detection of crime.

“There is a very active Safer Neighbourhood Team in the town centre and the police should always be the first port of call for serious crime.”

Stephanie Connelly, centre manager for the Dolphin Centre, said the PARC initiative provided a “valuable bonus” in the fight against shoplifting.

But she added the centre and individual shops still had the power to issue their own bans for offenders.

An email from Mr Buxton to PARC members said senior Dolphin Centre management and the police had “expressed concerns” about the way exclusions were dished out and enforced.

PARC is a partnership encompassing the town centre management, retailers and Dorset Police.

It also operates the Radiolink scheme that helps communication of suspicious and potentially criminal activity.