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You raised shoplifting as a concern, so here’s a quick local update. Yesterday, THURSDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER 2026 officers from Tooting Broadway travelled to ISLINGTON to arrest a shoplifter that has been targeting Tooting Broadway cafes for at least a year and a half! After facing challenges with identifying the person responsible the Dedicated Ward Officers for the area managed to gather enough evidence to charge him with 17 instances of shoplifting committed between MARCH 2026 and AUGUST 2026.
Due to the number of offences he has committed and comments made at the time of arrest he was remanded in custody and taken to court this morning.
An application for a CBO (Criminal Behaviour Order) has been submitted with his case for the magistrate to consider when giving their verdict.
Since 31ST JUNE 2026 shoplifting has become a triable either way offence regardless of the value of the theft. This also removes the prosecution time limit of 6 months. Shoplifting is a crime that will not be tolerated regardless of the value.
As of the 31ST JUNE 2026 a new offence is enforceable in law to protect staff that work in retail premises. Under section 45 CRIME AND POLICING ACT 2026 it is an offence to assault a retail worker at work. It is unacceptable behaviour to assault anyone, so in order to safeguard our key workers from violence anyone that assaults a retail worker will have an application for a CBO submitted with their case, regardless of whether it is their first offence or the value of any items they were stealing.
WHAT IS A CBO?
A Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO) is an order made by a court to help prevent someone from continuing to cause crime, harassment or antisocial behaviour.
A CBO can place specific rules and restrictions on an individual based on their behaviour. For example, it may prevent them from entering certain locations, associating with particular people or carrying certain items. It can also require them to do certain things where this will help address their behaviour.
CBOs are tailored to the individual and are designed to prevent further offending and protect victims and communities from harm.
🚨 Breaching a CBO is a criminal offence.
This means that if someone deliberately breaks the conditions of their order, they can be arrested and prosecuted.
CBOs give police and partner agencies an additional tool to tackle persistent offending and antisocial behaviour, particularly where a person’s behaviour is having an ongoing impact on the community.
If you are aware of someone breaching the conditions of a CBO, please report it to police.
 The Met is cracking down on street crime, like shoplifting, people doing drugs and phone-snatching. We’ve put hundreds more officers on the frontlines of community crime-fighting teams, upping visible patrols in the right ‘hot spots’ so we can deter and catch criminals. We’re now arresting more than 1,000 extra criminals every month and seeing ‘neighbourhood crime’ down 14%. But we know there is more to do. That’s why we’re stepping up our use of technology, increasing our operations and working with retailers to make it less appealing for criminals to commit these crimes in the first place. 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. | 
