Just Why Has Shoplifting Become So Brazen?

There was a time when shops and larger stores had very proactive store security. Cameras were in place and being closely monitored. Shoplifters were quickly spotted and apprehended and the police was subsequently called.

Today, store guards cannot stop thieves, cameras often do not work, police are in fewer numbers and thieves are brazen and do not care as there is very little deterrent.

School children attending food outlets across Havering, have stopped paying and started thieving. Brazenly entering the store and taking what they want and laughing as they leave. Organised gangs steal to order. It is now and has been for some considerable period of time-brazen and careless.

Shoplifting across Havering has become a growing concern for both retailers and residents, with official data and local reporting showing a steady rise in theft-related offences over recent years.

In Havering, theft is one of the largest categories of crime, and shoplifting makes up a significant proportion of this. Recent figures show that theft offences account for around 40 per cent of all recorded crime in the borough, with shoplifting forming a key part of that total. In some reporting periods, shoplifting has represented more than 40 per cent of all theft offences locally, highlighting how central retail theft has become to the borough’s crime profile.

Police and council data also shows that shoplifting in Havering has fluctuated but remained a persistent issue. In one recent 12-month period, there were over 2,000 recorded shoplifting offences in the borough, contributing to tens of thousands of overall theft incidents across Havering. While Havering remains statistically one of the safer London boroughs overall, with crime rates below the London average, retail theft stands out as a consistent pressure point for businesses and enforcement teams.

Nationally, this mirrors a wider trend across London and England and Wales, where shoplifting has reached record highs in recent years, driven by a mix of economic pressures, organised offending, and opportunistic theft. In Havering, there have been targeted police and partnership operations aimed at known offenders and hotspot locations in an attempt to reduce repeat offending and support retailers. Clear Hold Build across Harold Hill cut the level of shoplifting across Hilldene shopping area.

Retailers in the borough have also responded by increasing security measures, including more staff monitoring, CCTV use, and in some cases restricting the availability of high-value items on open shelves. These measures reflect the ongoing challenge businesses face in balancing customer access with loss prevention.

Although Havering’s overall crime levels remain comparatively low, shoplifting continues to be one of the most noticeable and frequently reported forms of offending, particularly in busy retail areas such as Romford and surrounding town centres. The pattern suggests a crime type that is less about isolated incidents and more about repeated offending behaviour affecting the same retail locations.

Deterrents need to be in place to stop this scourge on our streets.

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