Darren Watson from the Neighbourhood Policing Team for Lambeth said: “The main issue is prolific offenders, they will come in stores and essentially clear shelving units, they’re shoplifting in bulk and the values are high.
“The work we’ve been doing for a few years now has been about targeting the prolific offenders with plain clothes officers, uniformed officers and thorough investigations.
“We’ve been linking their offending up so that when we charge them, it’s for multiple, say five or more offences.”
Deputy assistant commissioner Ben Russell, the Met’s lead for Safer Summer Streets, said: “Town centres across London continue to see an enhanced police presence this summer, building on reductions in theft, burglary, knife crime and robbery achieved so far this year, and more shoplifting cases solved.