Police forces across England will target 500 of the country’s most prolific shoplifters through a crackdown involving high street bans, GPS tagging and tougher enforcement, the Government announced on 11 November.

The scheme will involve 16 police forces, with up to 17 participating according to the Home Office, and has been backed by £2.5 million in additional funding. Officers will use criminal behaviour orders (CBOs) to restrict repeat offenders from entering town centres and specific shopping areas where they have committed thefts.

Under the orders, police can impose electronic monitoring, curfews and restrictions on contact with named individuals. Offenders may also be required to undergo treatment for drug or alcohol addiction, while restrictions can cover possessing certain items, using social media or gathering in particular locations. Breaching a CBO carries a maximum prison sentence of five years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “A small number of offenders commit a disproportionate amount of shop theft. They wreak havoc on our high streets, leave businesses out of pocket and make retail workers scared to go to work.”

The initiative will bring police, probation services and other partners together around individual offenders, creating personalised plans to gather evidence of multiple offences and build stronger cases for prosecution. The Government said the approach would combine enforcement with measures addressing addiction and other factors contributing to repeat offending.

The crackdown follows research by retail crime data platform Auror, which found that 10 per cent of shoplifters are responsible for 70 per cent of store thefts in Britain. Metropolitan Police data identified 104 prolific offenders responsible for more than 5,300 shoplifting offences over two years, according to figures reported by The Guardian.

The scale of the problem remains significant. Police-recorded shoplifting offences in England and Wales exceeded 500,000 in 2024, reaching a record high, although figures subsequently fell by two per cent in 2025. The British Retail Consortium estimates that under-reporting means actual annual thefts could reach 5.5 million, costing retailers £2.2 billion.

The Government plans to replicate Operation Kelleher, a Metropolitan Police initiative targeting 10 prolific offenders in Bromley during 2025. Police data showed recorded retail crime in the area fell by 70 per cent, while one retailer reported weekly stock losses dropping from £7,000 to £400.

Simon Roberts, chief executive of Sainsbury’s, said targeted action against repeat offenders was an important step, but called for more arrests and prosecutions. He described retail crime as a “national emergency which requires a national response”.

The 16 participating forces include the Metropolitan Police, Greater Manchester Police, West Midlands Police, Merseyside Police and Thames Valley Police.

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