Thousands of stolen items have been recovered in the UK’s largest-ever crackdown on organised shoplifting gangs, the Metropolitan Police have announced.
Police raided more than 120 shops in London that were suspected of buying stolen items from major retailers and reselling them at discounted prices.
Thousands of pounds of goods were seized during the raid, including branded food, electrical devices, and make-up. 32 people were arrested for various offences and nine stores were served with closure notices as a result of this crackdown.
Police also made seven arrests at a mobile phone store in Woolwich, where 2,000 phones were seized for further investigation, the majority of which were believed to be stolen.
The phone store in question had a secret room hidden behind a wall panel in the basement, which concealed many mobile phones and electronic devices. Another secret compartment contained around £50,000 worth of gaming consoles.
Called Operation Zoridon, this action against organised shoplifting taken by the Met involved more than 300 officers working alongside major retailers in London.
The Met said the operation involved months of planning to identify businesses involved in organised shoplifting. It used tactics such as marking commonly stolen items with synthetic liquid and specially trained tracking dogs to help trace stolen goods back to their original retailers.
“This operation sent a clear message to anyone profiting from stolen goods and contributing to rising prices for Londoners: if you buy or sell stolen items, your licence will be revoked and your premises shut down,” said Operation Zoridon lead Superintendent Luke Baldock.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime and the gangs involved are organised and have links to drugs and violence. Rogue shopkeepers who trade in stolen goods are funding criminal activity and driving up costs for everyone. They’re keeping thieves in business at the expense of hard-working, law-abiding retailers.”
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said the Mayor’s Office would continue to work with the Met to tackle the crimes that are of most concern to Londoners.
“Shoplifting has a profound impact on business owners and communities, with organised gangs stealing to order,” Khan said.
“Record funding from City Hall is helping the Met build on significant reductions achieved in theft and robbery – both down since the start of the year – with 92 per cent more shoplifting cases solved. But we know we need to do a lot more.”
“This operation sends a message that if you shoplift or trade in stolen goods, you will be brought to justice,” he said.
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