Police have arrested four women suspected of being part of a gang that's been carrying out "high-value" shoplifting in Reading, as officers launch a crack down on crime in the town centre. 

Officers have made arrests over a range of offences as part of Safer Business Action Week over the last five days.

The crack down has also seen two individuals arrested and charged with nine offences including shoplifting. 

Officer also issued two warnings over aggressive begging in the town centre, according to Thames Valley Police. 

Police patrols have also been targeting mobile phone 'distraction thefts', an issue that made headlines earlier last week after police released a video showing a distraction theft in McDonalds in Friar Street.

The patrols come as Thames Valley Police rolls out a new app that aims to make it much quicker for businesses to report crimes in and around their premises. 

In a statement on social media, an officer said: "This week is Safer Business Action Week in Reading where we've been working with a range of business partners to sign them up to Thames Valley Police's new and free App called DISC.

"This is a community based information sharing and crime reporting tool.

"All town centre officers are now active on the system.

"The system allows retailers to report crimes directly to TVP in a fraction of the time using the app."

Earlier this week, Thames Valley Police announced it had achieved a 98 per cent increase in charges for shoplifting offences when comparing April to October this year with the same period last year. 

Thames Valley Police has been approached for further details on the arrests made this week.