Unmasking the gangs 'stealing millions' from UK shops
Getty ImagesThe BBC has been given special access to a police unit that says it has been disrupting organised crime gangs responsible for stealing 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 set up two years ago and works with retailers and local police forces to target criminals responsible for raids across multiple stores around Britain.
It was launched after a surge in shop theft that peaked in 2025 with more than half a million offences recorded in a year.
The Home Office said shoplifting offences fell last year and the charge rate rose.
Opal bosses say tens of thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods have been recovered.
They also say those convicted have been jailed for sentences totalling 118 years and 22 migrant criminals were deported as a result of their offences.
More than 250 arrests have been made and 84 operations have been carried out since the ORCs launch in 2024.
Jim Taylor, a former detective chief superintendent who was head of Opal until August, says the organisation is targeting 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 described as "shop theft tourism".
Surrey Police worked with Opal to bring down 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 it was about enhancing cooperation between forces to 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 playing its part in the fight against organised shop theft, according to Inspector James Tribe from 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 impact of the offending and helping forces target areas where evidence was coming from.
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 boosting their security measures.
At a Co-op store in London, the BBC is shown staff wearing body cams, CCTV, a one-way system with gates and screens protecting 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.
The police response to theft has been improving since 2023, he said, adding that police were now attending "seven times out of every 10".
Gerrard wants the government to do more to prevent 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.
Prolific offenders
Last year a pilot scheme was introduced in East Sussex where a small number of persistent shoplifters were fitted with electronic tags to prevent re-offending, which is now being expanded countywide.
The offender receives a criminal behaviour order and is banned 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 curb 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 in place until March 2028.
Officials said decisions on funding beyond that period will be taken as part of future spending review processes.
