Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said that although police and retailers are working together, ‘too many offenders still face little meaningful consequence’
Britain’s biggest police force is pushing for fast-track courts for shoplifters as it revealed that 104 repeat offenders were responsible for more than 5,300 crimes in the past two years. The Metropolitan Police said the serial criminals were behind 4,389 shoplifting offences and another 1,000 other crimes over the past two financial years.
Each of the 104 broke the law at least 31 times before they were jailed, and the shoplifting offences made up around a third of cases in London where a suspect has been identified. All bar three of the criminals continued offending after they had been charged.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: “We know we haven’t always got the response to retail crime right. Over the past 18 months, we have changed that, giving neighbourhood officers new technology to quickly identify and arrest the small number of offenders responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.
“Working hand-in-hand with retailers and sharing evidence has been crucial in building strong cases and securing charges. Where underreporting remains, we are working with businesses to ensure incidents are reported to bring those offenders to justice.
“Whilst we recognise the £5 million from Government to disrupt organised retail crime, we are still seeing the same individuals come back again and again – that shows the system needs to change. That’s why we are calling on the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to take action, and we stand ready to help break this cycle for good.”
According to figures from the Metropolitan Police’s crime data website, in the year to May 2025, 6,939 shoplifting cases out of 101,924 (6.8%) were recorded as having had a positive outcome. This includes a charge or summons, a caution, the offender dying, a penalty notice or cannabis warning being issued, a community resolution or where the offence is taken into account with other crimes.
In the year to May 2026, 14,347 offences out of a total of 100,264 had a positive outcome, 14.3%. Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium, said that although police and retailers are working together, “too many offenders still face little meaningful consequence”.
She went on: “To truly turn the tide on retail crime, Government must strengthen the justice system so offenders, particularly repeat offenders, are brought to justice quickly and effectively. These are not victimless crimes – they have a devastating impact on retail workers, businesses and communities.”
The Met, British Retail Consortium and Retail Trust have jointly written to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to call for fast-track courts so repeat offenders appear within 72 hours of charge. They also want a clearer escalation system for people who keep breaching criminal behaviour orders, and more consistent enforcement of the orders.
Dee Corsi, New West End Company chief executive, said there is a difference between opportunistic shop thieves and those who repeatedly target stores. “Retail crime cannot be tackled through enforcement measures alone, and businesses are rightly looking for the justice system to take a more robust approach to those who systematically target high street shops.
“There is a vast gulf between opportunistic shoplifting and retail crime perpetrated by prolific offenders and organised groups. It is time that those responsible for prolific and organised offending face consequences which reflect the scale of harm caused to businesses and frontline staff.”
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said: “Theft and assaults can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and damage their confidence, wellbeing and sense of safety long after their retail shifts have finished. Shop workers need to see every incident taken seriously and receive the right support afterwards so they are not left to deal with the consequences on their own.
“The Retail Trust is working with police forces and hundreds of retailers across the country to make it easier for people to report crime and abuse and get more help to feel safer at work. These new laws will strengthen our efforts to protect retail workers by ensuring those who repeatedly target shops and intimidate staff face swift and serious consequences.”
A government spokesperson said shoplifting “devastates high streets and hollows out businesses”. “That’s why we’re taking tough action to turn the tide on the epidemic of shop theft,” they said.
“Charge volumes are up 17%, we’re speeding up court delays and scrapping the so-called £200 ‘licence to steal’ so that shoplifters can be prosecuted.”
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