The Metropolitan Police and retail groups have written to government calling for criminal justice reforms to crackdown on prolific shoplifters, including fast-tracking court cases and stronger, more consistent enforcement of court orders.
It comes after new data revealed a small number of prolific offenders are responsible for a significant proportion of shoplifting offences across London.
According to Met Police, just 104 prolific shoplifters were linked to 4,389 offences over the last two financial years – almost a third of all incidents where a suspect was identified. It took a minimum of 31 offences before each of the offenders were given a custodial sentence.
Significant progress has already been made through closer collaboration between police and retailers, alongside improved reporting of offences and enforcement.
- Last year shoplifting across London fell by 3.7 per cent – around 3,500 fewer offences.
- We also made almost 50 per cent more arrests.
- In the 2025/26 financial year, the positive outcome rate for retail crime – which is a charge or caution – rose by 123 per cent, to 5,996 compared to 2,682 the year before.
The Met has introduced new technology to identify and arrest prolific offenders. This includes a fast-tracked Retrospective Facial Recognition (RFR) process that has achieved an 80.5 per cent identification rate for unknown retail offenders. In one case, RFR identified a suspect linked to 52 previously unsolved offences.
Despite these results, the Met, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and the Retail Trust believe further reforms are needed to prevent prolific offenders repeatedly cycling through the criminal justice system and continuing to offend.
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 business 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.”
Helen Dickinson, British Retail Consortium CEO, said: “Retailers and police are working together to tackle retail theft and the violence and abuse that is the everyday reality for too many of our colleagues. While initiatives such as Project Pegasus are helping drive progress, too many offenders still face little meaningful consequence.
"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."
Chris Brook-Carter, Retail Trust CEO, 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.”
The organisations have jointly written to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice calling for:
- Fast track court processes that bring prolific offenders before courts within around 72 hours of charge.
- Stronger and more consistent enforcement of court orders.
- A clearer escalation framework for offenders who repeatedly breach Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBO)
Analysis of the 104 prolific offenders also found that 97 per cent continued offending while progressing through the criminal justice system. Collectively, they were linked to more than 1,000 additional offences beyond shoplifting.