Unmasking the gangs 'stealing millions' from UK shops

**Unmasking the gangs 'stealing millions' from UK shops**

Leaders of the police unit say tens of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods have been recovered

The BBC has been granted rare access to a police unit that says it has been disrupting organised crime gangs behind the theft of millions of pounds’ worth of goods from shops across the UK.

The organised retail crime (ORC) team within Opal, a national police intelligence unit, was created two years ago and works alongside retailers and local police forces to target criminals carrying out raids across multiple stores around Britain.

It was launched following a rise in shop theft, which reached a peak in 2025 when more than half a million offences were recorded in a single year.

The Home Office said shoplifting offences dropped last year and the charge rate increased.

Opal bosses say tens of thousands of pounds’ worth of stolen goods have been recovered.

They also say people convicted through the unit’s work have received jail terms totalling 118 years, and 22 migrant criminals were deported because of their offences.

Since the ORC team launched in 2024, more than 250 arrests have been made and 84 operations have been carried out.

Jim Taylor, a former detective chief superintendent who led Opal until August, said the organisation is focusing on multiple crime gangs.

"We've uncovered organised crime groups responsible for millions of pounds of theft," he said.

"One of our cases impacted across 30 police forces with 57 different officers dealing with that group.

"We've seen foreign nationals coming to the UK, maybe considering retail theft is an easy target, low risk, high reward."

He said there was anecdotal evidence of criminals travelling to the UK for a couple of days at a time to carry out what he called "shop theft tourism".

Surrey Police worked with Opal to dismantle a gang in 2024 that was responsible for stealing £200,000 from Tesco stores across the country.

"By having Opal in play now, we can see the collective impact across the country," said Insp Chris Thoday.

"So we can get all of the offences from across the UK, deal with them as one job, and that results in tougher sentences in the courts."

Stephanie Coombes, head of intelligence at Opal, said the aim was to improve cooperation between forces so they could target criminals operating in different parts of the country.

"Where we have individual offences, often another police force won't know that another force is suffering the same offenders, so that collaborative response is much more effective," she said.

Technology is also helping in the fight against organised shop theft, according to Inspector James Tribe of Thames Valley Police.

"We are seeing real benefits from the likes of facial recognition among the retailers," he said.

He added that it was helping police understand the geographical spread of the offending and helping forces focus on areas where evidence was emerging.

Some police forces and businesses have also been using their own live facial recognition technology, despite concerns raised by a civil liberties group.

On the shop floor, businesses have spent millions strengthening security.

At a Co-op store in London, the BBC was shown staff wearing body cams, CCTV, a one-way system with gates, and screens shielding cashiers from potential offenders.

"Over the last 18 months we have seen crime come down by about 32% from its height and violence come down by about 60%," said Paul Gerrard, director of campaigns, public affairs and policy at Co-op.

However, he said that despite the investment there were still too many offences.

"Crime is still twice what it was before the pandemic, so it is better, but against historic norms, it's still extremely high," he said.

He said the police response to theft had been improving since 2023, adding that police were now attending "seven times out of every 10".

Gerrard wants the government to do more to stop repeat offenders.

"It could be employment and rehabilitation programmes, but we have to have a serious look, because the prisons will just get fuller and my colleagues in store will continue to face crime unless we tackle re-offending," he said.

Last year, a pilot scheme was introduced in East Sussex in which a small number of persistent shoplifters were fitted with electronic tags to stop re-offending, and it is now being expanded across the county.

The offender is given a criminal behaviour order and barred from specific areas, including shops or precincts, with police monitoring for any breaches.

"That gives the whole area respite because they know this offender is not allowed in," said Katy Bourne, the Sussex police and crime commissioner.

Those with an addiction would have to "go into some form of rehabilitation", Bourne added.

Policing minister Sarah Jones says the government is looking to reduce the impact of persistent shoplifters.

"There is a small number of people who are responsible for a high number of shop thefts," she said.

"Often they have drug addictions and other challenges that need to be addressed, but they need to know that they are going to be punished for what they've done.

"Whether it's use of technology, court orders that say to them they can't come into this town centre because you are a repeat offender, we need to bear down on all of those things."

The Home Office also confirmed that funding for the Opal team is secured until March 2028.

Officials said decisions on funding beyond that point will be made as part of future spending review processes.