Key Points
- A trial program involving electronic tagging and exclusion orders for persistent shoplifters is being considered by Croydon Council.
- It is proposed by the Executive Mayor, Jason Perry and it will enable them to have a “zero tolerance” attitude towards shoplifting.
- This is based on the success of a similar scheme using GPS ankle tags by the Sussex Police, who have prohibited prolific offenders from some particular areas.
- According to figures, there have been more than 4,800 cases of shoplifting in Croydon town centre in the past one year.
- As Croydon Council talks to the Metropolitan Police and technical firms, no funding has yet been secured for the project.
- Benedict Selvaratnam of the Croydon Business Association is one of the local business people who approve of such measures as a “meaningful deterrent.”
London (The Londoner News) August 11, 2026 – Persistent shoplifters who repeatedly target businesses in Croydon could soon face electronic tagging and exclusion from parts of the borough under a pioneering pilot scheme proposed by the local council.
As reported by Rachael Burford, Chief Political Correspondent of the Evening Standard, the initiative seeks to address the growing challenge of prolific retail theft by using GPS ankle tags to monitor offenders and enforce exclusion zones, marking a potential first-of-its-kind intervention in the capital.
How will the proposed GPS tagging scheme work?
The proposed pilot is rooted in a “zero-tolerance” strategy spearheaded by Executive Mayor Jason Perry, who has made community safety a cornerstone of his administration. According to the Croydon Council newsroom, the authority is currently examining how the technology, which has already seen success in neighbouring regions, can be adapted to tackle prolific criminality within the borough.
The model draws inspiration from Sussex Police, which became the first force in the UK to successfully pilot the use of ankle tags to restrict the movements of repeat offenders. In that instance, two prolific thieves were ordered to wear GPS tags for a year and were explicitly banned from entering specific areas containing supermarkets. Croydon Council aims to replicate this success, potentially using the technology to prevent serial offenders from returning to the town centre.
Why is Croydon Council taking this action now?
The impetus for the scheme stems from the high volume of reported retail crime in the area. Official data cited by both the Evening Standard and the council’s own newsroom indicates that there were approximately 4,800 reported shop thefts in Croydon town centre over the past year, following a figure of 5,043 the year prior.
Executive Mayor Jason Perry emphasised the severity of the situation, stating as reported by Rachael Burford of the Evening Standard:
“Shoplifting is not a victimless crime. It threatens people’s livelihoods, drives up prices for honest customers and leaves shopworkers facing intimidation and abuse simply for doing their jobs.”
Mr Perry further noted that local businesses have reached a breaking point.
“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,”
he added, as published by the Croydon Council Newsroom.
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What is the stance of local business leaders?
The business community, which bears the brunt of the financial and psychological impact of persistent shoplifting, has largely welcomed the potential for stronger enforcement. Benedict Selvaratnam, managing director of Freshfields Market in Croydon and co-founder of the Croydon Business Association, stressed that the issue extends beyond simple monetary loss.
As quoted by the Croydon Council Newsroom, Mr Selvaratnam stated:
“Shoplifting has a significant impact on businesses, particularly retailers. It is not simply the financial value of the goods being stolen. There is also the cost of additional security, and the pressure it puts on staff, and morale. Persistent offenders make staff feel unsafe at work, and many businesses feel frustrated when the same individuals return repeatedly”.
Mr Selvaratnam expressed support for the council’s exploration of GPS tagging, telling the Council Newsroom:
“Where individuals repeatedly target shops and businesses, there needs to be a meaningful deterrent and a way of preventing that cycle from simply continuing”.
What are the next steps for the pilot programme?
While the proposal has been met with positive reception from stakeholders, the path to implementation remains in the development phase. Croydon Council has confirmed that it is currently in dialogue with the Metropolitan Police and various technology providers to determine the feasibility of the rollout.
However, a significant hurdle remains: the funding for the scheme has yet to be secured. Despite this, Mayor Perry remains committed to the project’s development. In his comments reported by the Evening Standard, he affirmed:
“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”.
The council’s proactive stance is part of a broader effort to mitigate antisocial behaviour in the town centre, which has previously included the introduction of accredited “Parkguard” patrol officers in high-crime hotspots and the successful pursuit of borough-wide bans against specific, prolific offenders. These efforts underscore a strategic pivot toward utilizing every available legal tool to protect the town’s retail environment.
As the council continues to refine the proposal, it seeks to balance the necessity of public and worker safety with the practicalities of enforcement technology, aiming to eventually provide a template for other London boroughs struggling with similar spikes in retail crime.
