Description
The fight against rogue retailers across London has led to the arrest of 42 people and closure notices issued for 11 shops, during a two-week crackdown on the resale of stolen goods.
Around 400 shops suspected of buying and reselling stolen goods were visited by officers from the Met as part of the operation. From expensive cosmetics and electrical goods to food products, tens of thousands of pounds worth of suspected stolen stock were seized.
Ahead of the operation, months of joint work between the Met, retailers and Trading Standards helped identify rogue businesses suspected of buying and selling stolen goods.
Retailers also highlighted the products most frequently targeted by thieves. These items were marked with SelectaDNA, a forensic marking solution that leaves a unique traceable code, identifiable under UV light. This enables officers to link recovered goods directly back to the stores they were stolen from.
Intelligence shows that prolific shoplifters are stealing to order from major high street retailers, targeting specific products requested by those buying and reselling stolen goods. These ‘shopping lists’ help fuel the organised criminal supply chain.
#police #london #shoplifting