Croydon to pilot electronic tagging for prolific shoplifters

Croydon Council intends to pilot electronic tagging for prolific shoplifters later this year, with elected mayor Jason Perry stating the scheme could be rolled out within the next couple of months. This initiative would make Croydon the first London borough to trial such technology.

Addressing repeat offenders

Read Next in News London4 min read

Croydon Council avoids £426,000 in temporary housing as 63 families relocate through Reloc8

The scheme moved households out of the borough after a surge of 4,400 new homelessness applications in 2025/26, offering supported rent‑controlled homes elsewhere.

The decision follows a recorded 4,796 shop thefts in Croydon town centre over the past 12 months, a slight decrease from 5,043 the previous year. Ben Selvaratnam, owner of Freshfields Market and co-founder of the Croydon Business Association, described the impact of daily incidents on his family-run business, which he said costs him hundreds of pounds daily. He cautiously welcomed the tagging plans, calling the GPS tracking system a "great idea" for identifying repeat offenders and ensuring consequences, but stressed the need for effective enforcement beyond just the electronic ankle bracelet.

Mayor Perry confirmed he is in discussions with the Metropolitan Police regarding the operational aspects of the tagging system. He described it as a system placed on individuals and managed through the police and local court system. The pilot phase is intended to assess its effectiveness before any wider rollout. The concept was previously introduced in East Sussex, where a pilot scheme involved fitting prolific shoplifters with GPS tags to monitor their entry into areas banned by court orders. That scheme reported preventing 100 shop thefts, estimating savings in police and criminal justice costs.

Broader context of London shoplifting

Related Borough Coverage3 min read

Croydon Council’s voids stay empty longer, 417 homes still vacant

Average re‑let time rose to 206 days while over 8,300 families wait for social housing and 3,269 households remain in temporary accommodation.

Nationally, the Metropolitan Police recorded 90,071 shoplifting offences in 2025-26. London accounted for 18% of all shoplifting crimes recorded across England and Wales in the last year. Data from the Met identified 104 prolific shoplifters linked to 4,389 offences in London over the past two years, with offenders often receiving custodial sentences only after a minimum of 31 offences. The Metropolitan Police also noted a higher rate of unsolved shoplifting investigations in London, with 70% of cases having no suspect identified, compared to a national average of 53%.

Croydon's mayor attributed the recent decrease in shoplifting to a range of measures, including the support for live facial recognition cameras deployed by the Metropolitan Police earlier this year, and a public space protection order that has reduced anti-social behaviour. Councillor Janet Campbell of Croydon Council's Labour group supported the tagging idea in principle but called for more detailed information from the mayor regarding funding and implementation powers.

What happens next

Mayor Perry is working with the Metropolitan Police and the court system to finalise the operational details of the pilot scheme. The council plans to roll out the electronic tagging for prolific shoplifters within the next couple of months. Further details on the funding and specific powers required for the proposal are awaited.