Croydon Council in south London is developing plans to fit persistent shoplifters with electronic ankle tags that would track their location, as part of a crackdown on retail crime affecting major supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons and Asda.
The local authority said it has been working with police and technology companies to develop the proposals, which would also allow the council to ban repeat offenders from entering certain parts of the town centre.
Businesses back the proposed measures
Benedict Selvaratnam, co-founder and representative of the Croydon Business Association (CBA), voiced support for the initiative from the shop floor where he and his staff have experienced frequent and sometimes violent encounters with shoplifters.
“If you are seen as soft here they will batter you,” Selvaratnam said. “We think it is a positive step. This will empower shopkeepers to take action.”
He added: “We ban shoplifters and say they are not welcome here, but they still keep coming back. By the time the police come they are long gone. A lot of retailers are not bothering because they have no faith in the system.”
Mayor vows zero tolerance
Croydon Mayor Jason Perry said the council is determined to use every legal tool available to protect businesses, describing shoplifting as a crime that threatens livelihoods and drives up prices for honest customers.
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It threatens people’s livelihoods, drives up prices for honest customers and leaves shop workers facing intimidation and abuse simply for doing their jobs,” Perry said.
“Our businesses have had enough of prolific offenders repeatedly targeting their shops, and so have I. My message is clear – that if you come to Croydon to steal, you should expect consequences.
“Zero-tolerance means backing our businesses and using every legal tool available to protect them. GPS tagging could help us monitor persistent shoplifting offenders, enforce exclusion zones and prevent the same people returning time and again to cause more harm.”
Existing measures and next steps
The mayor noted that the council has already secured a borough-wide ban against one persistent antisocial behaviour offender and put additional accredited officers on the streets.
“We have already secured a borough-wide ban against one persistent antisocial behaviour offender and put additional accredited officers on our streets. Now we want to go further,” Perry said.
“I am determined that Croydon will lead the way in taking tough, practical action against shoplifting. We will continue working with the police, businesses and technology providers to develop this pilot and make Croydon a safer place in which to work, shop and live.”
