Police Plan Crackdown on 500 of England and Wales' Most Prolific Shoplifters

Police plan to target 500 of the most prolific shoplifters across England and Wales as part of a crackdown on retail crime, according to The Guardian.

The plan combines tougher sentences, bans from high streets and electronic monitoring. Among the measures are expanded use of criminal behaviour orders, which are court orders that can bar a person from particular areas, in this case high streets and town centres. Offenders would also be subject to GPS tagging, a device that tracks location, and to intensive supervision courts, where they must attend regular hearings before a judge. Offenders who do not comply with their conditions or who breach them could be sent to prison in the most serious cases. Foreign offenders could face deportation.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said up to 17 police forces would take part, each targeting repeat shoplifters in its own area. The crackdown is backed by an extra £2.5m in funding.

The effort follows a sharp rise in the offence. Shoplifting recorded by police in England and Wales reached its highest level on record in 2024, with more than half a million offences. Recorded shoplifting then fell by 2% in the year after 2024, according to the same report.

The approach draws in part on a policing operation in Bromley, south-east London, in 2025. Operation Kelleher targeted 10 shoplifters, and recorded retail crime in the area fell by 70%, according to Metropolitan Police data.

The Metropolitan Police said 104 repeat offenders were responsible for more than 5,300 shoplifting crimes over the past two years.