Rapid response sees Sevenoaks shoplifting arrests made

Two people have been arrested after staff reported the theft of toiletries and perfume from a Sevenoaks shop.

Staff from Boots on High Street called Kent Police at 10.39pm on Wednesday 27 August 2025, believing that two individuals were in the process of stealing items by placing them into shopping bags they were carrying.

Within 20 minutes of the initial call, officers had stopped the suspects getting on a train at the town’s railway station.

A search recovered the goods reported stolen along with a screwdriver and pliers.

Scott Murphy, 38, and Charlene Cornwell, 33, both of Turpington Lane, Bromley, were arrested and charged with theft and bailed to appear at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday 30 September.

Detective Inspector Rik Spicer said: ‘Our ongoing work to combat shoplifting in the Sevenoaks area has seen a reduction of almost 10 per cent in reports of the crime over the last year. There were 545 reports of shoplifting in the region between August 2024 and August 2025, compared to 603 over the previous corresponding period.‘We are encouraged by these results and have used plain clothes operations, additional uniformed patrols and dedicated town centre beat officers.‘Officers have also held regular safety engagement meetings with Sevenoaks District Council, the Sevenoaks Business Crime Prevention Team and local business owners.’