A shoplifting epidemic is going unpunished
Britain’s high streets are suffering soaring rates of increasingly brazen theft — yet police lack the resources to tackle it
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Narrated by Jenni Russell
Two weeks ago London shoppers found themselves briefly locked inside three Oxford Street stores as police fought with and ran after hundreds of teenagers who had turned up expecting to take part in a mass robbery. Widely shared posts on TikTok and Snapchat had invited those interested to wear balaclavas and gloves to “rob JD Sports” at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, in a replication of a successful looting spree in an Oxford Street US-style candy store the year before.
This time the police, mayor and shops were warned and prepared. Sadiq Khan told would-be robbers not to come and the Metropolitan Police announced a heavy presence, adding, “Anyone committing a crime can expect to be dealt with robustly.”
A dispersal zone was imposed on
