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I wanted to provide you an update regarding Shoplifting, which members around this area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the Met Engage priority survey. Thank you for signing up to Met Engage. As part of the Met’s commitment to community engagement, your local team are able to share some of our good news stories from across your local area. In the coming months, expect to see regular updates on how we are keeping our community safe through community events, details of local cases and convictions, and crime prevention advice.
Thanks to those of you who have completed our local priority survey and helping us to understand which issues are most important to you in Heston Central. As a result, we wanted to share one particular case that we have been working to get over the line for some time.
One of the most prolific unknown shoplifters in West London has been identified and convicted of numerous shoplifting offences. This has involved months of work to identify the suspect, locate witnesses, obtain evidence such as CCTV and witness statements and finally convict the suspect at court. Using local knowledge and relationships in the community, your local officers were able to uncover new evidence and reopen a number of investigations which had previously gone unsolved.
Next came the challenge of building a watertight case file with police ID statements and obtaining court-ready evidential compilations. Finally, once everything was ready, we laid out the evidence for the courts leaving the suspect no other choice than to plead guilty.
As a local neighbourhood team, our priority is as much to prevent as to detect crime in Heston Central. As such, we applied to the court for a Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) which, if granted, imposes several conditions on the suspect which, if breached, result in his unconditional arrest. On 20/02/2026, Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court granted this CBO with the following conditions:
The defendant must not in any place in England and Wales:
1. Enter any retail or commercial premises from which he has been formally banned.
2. Remain in any retail or commercial premises in having been asked to leave by a member of staff or security guard.
3. Enter any Tesco Store within the boundary of the M25.
4. Enter any Sainsbury’s Store within the boundary of the M25.
5. Enter the private areas of any retail or commercial premises without the permission of a member of staff or security guard.
6. Be in possession of more than two packets/tubs of butter in any public place without proof of purchase.
7. Associate with two of his known associates.
The suspect can be sure that if he returns to this area, he will be immediately recognised by the local policing team and he will be arrested for breaching this order.
This is just one of the many cases we have been working on the last few months and hope to be able to share more of these in the coming weeks and months.
 Shoplifting is a crime that can have a substantial negative impact on local businesses across London. If you notice anything suspicious or witness anyone shoplifting, please report it as soon as possible. These reports are invaluable in letting us build a picture of when and where shop lifters operate, meaning we can be in the right place at the right time to arrest those responsible. For more guidance, see our page on how to spot a shoplifter. We are working on our brand-new strategy for how we police London and we want your help. Our New Met for London: Phase 2 strategy will guide how we deliver on behalf of Londoners over the next three years. | 
