“Tens of thousands of pounds worth of suspected stolen goods have been seized, shop owners arrested and businesses closed down.”
“Those results send a clear message: if you profit from retail crime, you will be arrested. Working alongside partners such as retailers and Trading Standards, we will use every power available to disrupt this criminality, protect honest businesses and make London’s high streets safer.”
The operation also targeted car boot sales suspected of selling tools, the Met added, noting that activity in Hounslow led to three arrests and the seizure of five pallets of suspected stolen tools and counterfeit Dyson products.
During a licensing check at a shop in Lewisham, officers identified suspected stolen Tesco tinned mackerel being sold, with further searches leading to the recovery of a machete and suspected stolen passports and driving licences stashed in a tin of sweets.
