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Met Unveils Biggest Targeted Crackdown on London Shoplifting Rings With 32 Arrested in Raids on 120 Shops

Police seek longer court-ordered closures after months of intelligence-led work using forensic tracing.

Overview

  • Operation Zoridon targeted suspected resale hubs across London on 14 and 16 October, resulting in nine emergency closure notices.
  • Hundreds of thousands of pounds in goods were seized, including about 2,000 phones at a Woolwich store where secret rooms were found and Apple confirmed some items were counterfeit.
  • Officers reported major finds at other sites, including more than 150 suspected stolen items and about £70,000 in cash with luxury watches linked to a Bromley raid, plus seizures at Willesden and Hanwell shops.
  • The Met deployed SelectaDNA liquid marking and a dog trained to detect it to trace items back to retailers, following months of intelligence and surveillance.
  • More than 300 officers worked with Trading Standards, the London Fire Brigade and Border Force, as the force highlights a sharp rise in shoplifting and says it has solved 92% more cases this year.