A prolific shoplifter who was snared 20 seconds after committing his latest theft has been jailed for 12 weeks. Officers on patrol in Petts Hill, Northolt on Wednesday, April 22 were alerted to serial thief Sam Riley, 37, attempting to flee a petrol station store with a bag of stolen items. They immediately pounced and arrested him on the spot.

And appearing before Willesden Magistrates’ Court, Riley, of Northolt, north London, has now been banged behind bars for three months.

Sergeant Ashleigh Harte, from the Harrow Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Tackling shoplifting continues to be a priority for the Met and we are focused on tackling repeat offenders such as Sam Riley.

“Shoplifting is down by 28% in Ealing and, across the Met, we have nearly doubled the number of shoplifting cases solved in the last year.

“This progress reflects a determined, targeted policing approach, backed by technology such as facial recognition and strong partnerships with retailers, whose cooperation is crucial in identifying and stopping the repeat offenders responsible for so much of this harm.”

Riley previously pleaded guilty to a total of 21 shoplifting offences at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 8.

They uncovered that Riley was also wanted for more than 20 further shoplifting offences in the area. CCTV such as the one in this case, plays a crucial role in investigations.

At present, only around 20% of shoplifting reports include CCTV footage, but when clear footage is available, officers can identify suspects in around 80% of cases.

The Express Stop The Shoplifters crusade is calling for prompter police action and tougher legislation to combat the national crime epidemic. In London the Met claims to have made significant progress in tackling shoplifting, with reported offences in London falling by 3.7% during the previous financial year, compared with the same period the previous year. That’s 3,200 fewer incidents of this reported crime.

The positive outcome rate – defined as an arrest, charge or conviction – has risen to 14% in 2024/25, up from 7.6% in the previous financial year.