Key Points

• Croydon Council’s Proposal: Croydon Council has announced intentions to roll out electronic tagging for prolific shoplifters later this year, making it the first London borough to adopt the measure.
• Support from Retailers: Store owner and co-founder of the Croydon Business Association, Benedict Selvaratnam, expressed strong support, stating that GPS tagging provides a “clear record of repeated breaches” to create a compelling evidence trail for authorities.
• Sussex Pilot Update: The initiative follows a trial launched by Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne, who issued a progress update showing that Operation STOP cut offending among tagged individuals by nearly 60 per cent.
• Practical Expectations: Selvaratnam noted that business owners do not expect immediate police deployment for every minor exclusion breach, but value the long-term evidentiary benefits when repeat offenders are rearrested.
• Efficacy & Cost Savings: Independent evaluation by the Centre for Public Innovation revealed that GPS tagging in Sussex prevented roughly 300 shoplifting offences annually, generating approximately £100,000 in operational and criminal justice savings.
• Cross-Party & Community Debate: While Croydon Council highlighted a recent drop in town centre retail crime, local Labour opposition councillors have called for clearer details regarding funding, legal powers, and operational execution.

Croydon (South London News) September 17, 2026 – Croydon Council has confirmed plans to introduce electronic tagging for prolific shoplifters later this year, becoming the first local authority in London to adopt the tracking measure to tackle repeat retail crime. The announcement builds upon a pioneering pilot scheme originally introduced in Sussex by Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Katy Bourne.

As reported by Talking Retail, Benedict Selvaratnam, store owner and co-founder of the Croydon Business Association, stated:

“I genuinely believe electronic tagging can make a significant difference, particularly when it is targeted at the small number of prolific offenders responsible for a disproportionate amount of retail crime.”

Highlighting the realistic expectations of local shopkeepers, Selvaratnam further noted:

“Nobody expects blue lights every time an offender breaches an exclusion zone or banning order. However, GPS tagging can create a clear record of repeated breaches. When that individual is eventually arrested again, as repeat offenders invariably are, the authorities have a stronger evidence trail that may also correspond with reported shoplifting incidents. That creates a far more compelling case for escalating the response.”

How does the Croydon tagging scheme work for repeat shoplifters?

What does Croydon Council hope to achieve by fitting repeat offenders with GPS devices? Under the newly proposed council framework, persistent shoplifters who repeatedly target high street businesses will be fitted with electronic GPS ankle tags. The initiative aims to enforce exclusion zones and court-issued banning orders around retail hubs.

By continuously monitoring movements, law enforcement agencies receive geographical location data that records whenever a tagged individual enters a restricted shopping zone. Croydon Council has reported a slight reduction in town centre shoplifting over the past year—falling from 5,043 to 4,796 offences. Council leadership attributes this decline to an array of existing interventions, including live facial recognition technology and Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs).

However, political opposition within the borough has voiced caution over the new electronic monitoring proposals. As reported by Asian Trader, Labour Councillor Janet Campbell questioned the feasibility and financial backing of the plan, stating:

“We feel as though the people of Croydon deserve more than a proposal. What they deserve is some detail as to how this is going to happen, where the funding is going to come from, and will he have the power to fulfill this proposal.”

What were the findings of the Sussex Police tagging pilot update?

How effective was the original tagging trial conducted in Sussex? Coinciding with Croydon’s announcement, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne published an updated evaluation assessing the performance of Operation STOP (Shop Theft Offender Pilot).

As reported by Adam Clark of Greatest Hits Radio, an independent evaluation conducted by the Centre for Public Innovation revealed that fitting prolific shoplifters with GPS tags reduced their reoffending rate by nearly 60 per cent. The review highlighted that each tagged individual committed between 11 and 13 fewer offences on average, with five out of eight initial participants stopping shoplifting entirely after receiving the device.

As reported by Adam Clark of Greatest Hits Radio, Katy Bourne stated:

“We know that a few offenders cause the most crime when it comes to shop theft. These results show that our innovative approach of using GPS tagging for prolific offenders can make a dramatic difference in keeping our high streets safer.”

Bourne also highlighted a unique case from the Sussex trial, explaining:

“We recently had one individual voluntarily request to have a GPS tag fitted, as they were being exploited by others to commit offences on their behalf and they wanted that to stop.”

The independent evaluation estimates that the tagging and rehabilitation scheme will prevent approximately 300 offences per year across Sussex, saving an estimated £100,000 in wider criminal justice and police costs.

How do probation and rehabilitation services view electronic tagging?

Is electronic monitoring purely a punitive measure, or does it assist in offender rehabilitation? Law enforcement officials and probation services emphasize that electronic tagging operates as a dual-action mechanism combining monitoring with rehabilitation.

As reported by Paul Jacques of Police Professional, Debbie Knight, Head of Community Integration at Kent, Surrey and Sussex Probation, stated:

“The tagging pilot ensures the monitoring of people on probation, reducing the risk of further offences while we support the individual to address those areas linked to their offending behaviour, such as substance misuse.”

Knight added:

“We know the considerable impact shop theft has on the community and we work closely with courts and police to ensure the right balance between repaying the community and rehabilitation.”

Further supporting this multi-agency strategy, Thea Hendrick, Registered Services Manager at CGL East Sussex STAR Drug and Alcohol Service, noted that the initiative brings together enforcement and rehabilitation to deliver a real impact by offering tailored support away from crime. Similarly, Katherine Williams, Commissioning and Partnerships Manager at Kent, Surrey and Sussex Probation Service, described the collaborative framework as a vital early intervention tool.

Background of the particular development

Retail crime across the United Kingdom has reached historic highs in recent years, prompting trade bodies, police forces, and local councils to experiment with technological interventions. Historically, shoplifting offences were frequently treated as low-priority minor crimes, leading to widespread under-reporting by retailers who felt police responses were slow or nonexistent.

To address this epidemic, Sussex PCC Katy Bourne spearheaded “Project Pegasus,” a national partnership between major UK retailers and police forces aimed at sharing intelligence and tackling organized retail crime rings. In October 2025, Sussex Police launched Operation STOP as the country’s first trial using Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) to mandate 12-month GPS tagging for persistent thieves.

Following the initial trial in Eastbourne and Hastings, Sussex expanded its tagging capacity to 30 tags across East Sussex, West Sussex, and Brighton & Hove in May 2026. Croydon Council’s decision to adopt electronic tagging represents the first attempt to translate this county-level police model into a London borough council strategy.

Prediction: How this development can affect retail store owners and local communities

If Croydon Council successfully secures funding and legal clearance to implement electronic tagging, the initiative is expected to directly alter the operational landscape for local business owners, retail workers, and the wider public.

• Enhanced Evidentiary Standards for Business Owners: Retailers in Croydon will likely experience a shift in how chronic shoplifting is prosecuted. Rather than relying solely on individual store CCTV clips that yield isolated warnings, GPS tracking logs provide law enforcement with continuous, court-admissible location data. This allows prosecutors to link repeat offenders to multiple theft sites over time, leading to stronger criminal cases and longer custodial sentences or stricter court orders upon rearrest.
• Reduction in Store Loss and Violence Against Staff: Prolific offenders account for a disproportionate percentage of total stock loss. Suppressing repeat offending by up to 58 per cent—as demonstrated in the Sussex evaluation—could significantly improve profit margins for independent store owners who currently bear the financial burden of retail theft. Furthermore, because persistent shoplifters frequently react with aggression when confronted, reducing repeat visits from known offenders directly lowers the risk of physical threats and verbal abuse faced by shop workers.
• Increased Public Confidence and High Street Footfall: Visible enforcement measures, combined with real-time tracking, may restore broader public and commercial confidence in suburban town centres. If exclusion zones successfully deter persistent offenders from commercial districts, local high streets could see a reduction in antisocial behavior, encouraging greater footfall and fostering a safer shopping environment for the wider community.