Gang of 12 steals £60,000 of luxury goods from Tesco in just six weeks - as Met vows to crackdown on shoplifting

LBC has had exclusive access to 'Operation Cuff’, where since June, officers in plain clothes have been targeting violent, prolific shoplifters in the North London area.

Sergeant Christopher Howard, who runs Operation Cuff, has told LBC that shop theft at the Tesco has got out of control.

Sergeant Howard said: "There is a group of 12 who stole £60,000 worth of items within a six week period, and well as 75% of £750,000 which has been stolen within the last year.

"Shopkeepers come in to do their 9-5, and they are constantly abused, sworn at, threatened, or sometimes worse, people pull weapons.

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"This place is particularly bad - there are people who have names like “chain man” because he pulled out a chain and waved it above his head.

Within three hours, LBC witnessed several shoplifters being stopped by officers for stealing from the Tesco in Harringay, a known hotspot for shop theft.

In a new strategy, officers are working with supermarkets like Tesco to use SelectaDNA, a spray tool, to catch criminals.

SelectaDNA is a synthetic DNA which is sprayed on items with a unique pattern, meaning that stolen items can be identified much more easily.

This technique has already been used by officers to tackle tool theft, and to spray and later identify robbers on the run, but now it is being increasingly used to tackle shop theft too.

Sergeant Howard says that this new technique has been a game changer.

He’s told LBC: "It’s a new approach and it’s very effective. Without it, I’m convinced we would go to these addresses, find things, and then not be able to prove an offence."

Officers believe that stolen items are being taken from the Tesco to a nearby hairdresser, where they are harboured and then likely sold on.

LBC joined officers at a warrant search at the hairdresser, but the force believes that stolen items had already been moved on to another location by the time they forced entry into the shop.

But officers say they will be back, and inspector Jamie Moggeridge, who is overseeing Operation Cuff, says that the force is already starting to see results in North London, with a 50% reduction in shop theft at targetted areas like the Tesco.

He’s told LBC: "I think word of mouth is spreading amongst the individuals about our new approach and how we are being relentless and ruthless.

"We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will put you before the courts."

Shop theft has hit a record high in England and Wales, with a 20% surge for the year ending March 2025.

London is a particular hotspot for shop theft, with a surge over the last year of up to 50%.