While much of the stolen booty included non-essential items such as lollies and cosmetics, police said there appeared to be an increase in theft of family food items and speculated on the connection between hard

economic times and increased shopstealing.

Major retailers in the Frankston centre, including Myer, Coles, Kmart, Target and Safeway, banded together and deployed plain-clothes security staff throughout their stores last week.

Four uniformed police from Frankston assisted with the

operation in which more than 50 people aged between 13 and 60 were remanded, charged, fined or cautioned.

Constable Elise Douglas said items stolen ranged from chocolate bars to $2500 worth of clothes, the largest single haul of the four-day operation.