UK plans operation targeting 500 repeat shoplifters
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced £2.5 million (about $3.3 million) in extra funding for an operation involving up to 17 police forces across England and Wales.
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Police, probation services and local partners are to draw up a single plan for each targeted offender, including gathering evidence of multiple offenses to build stronger cases for court. The additional £2.5 million (about $3.3 million) will support participating forces and partners according to local needs.
The operation will target 500 prolific shoplifters across England and Wales. The plan follows a record year for police-recorded shoplifting in England and Wales: offenses exceeded half a million in 2024, then fell 2% in 2025. Mahmood said a small number of offenders account for a disproportionate share of shop theft, leaving businesses out of pocket and retail workers afraid to go to work.
Mahmood gave a ceiling of 17 forces, The Guardian said; trade publication Convenience Store put the maximum at 18.
Existing restrictions and coordinated cases
The operation aims to make greater use of existing criminal behavior orders, which can ban offenders from shopping streets and town centers. A judge can issue such an order after a conviction, at a prosecutor’s request under Part 2 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; it can impose prohibitions, requirements or both.
Other possible measures include GPS tags and intensive supervision courts, where offenders attend regular hearings before a judge. The government says breaches or noncompliance can lead to imprisonment in the most serious cases; immigration enforcement may also be involved, and foreign offenders could face deportation.
The Home Office also envisages court-ordered requirements and says the pilot will address drivers of offending such as drug and alcohol addiction. Revolving Doors, a charity that helps rehabilitate repeat offenders, called for sustained support addressing addiction, mental ill health and homelessness alongside enforcement. It said success should mean fewer repeat offenses, safer communities and more people able to recover, contribute and realize their potential.
The Bromley precedent
The government wants to replicate Operation Kelleher, which targeted 10 shoplifters in Bromley in 2025. Metropolitan Police data attributes a 70% reduction in recorded retail crime in the area to the operation. It led to arrests and charges, and several offenders received criminal behavior orders.
Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts called retail crime a national emergency and called for more arrests and prosecutions, citing theft, abuse, aggression and violence in stores. British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said tackling the small group of repeat offenders responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime was crucial, and that combining enforcement with targeted support could help shopping streets and communities.
The new operation is scheduled to begin in stages in early 2027, with the government aiming to mobilize it across all participating areas by spring 2027. Alex Goss, the National Police Chiefs' Council’s retail crime lead, said the pilot aims to test a more intensive approach and provide evidence for future national policy. He said the council would work with the Home Office and police forces to support the pilot’s development and implementation.
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