Shoplifting Gangs in Britain

Directed by Alice McShane (2024)

Film Review

This film concerns a British investigative journalist named Matt and his efforts to track down gangsters who shoplifted £120,000 worth of stock from a group of Morrison;s supermarkets in a single day.

According to British police, one quarter of UK shoplifting incidents are carried out by organized gangs, costing British merchants £1.8 billion in 2020. Despite the massive increase in incidents, British police only prosecute one quarter of the shoplifting cases they did a decade ago.

The film cites evidence these gangs target multiple quantities of specific items (eg alcohol, high value health and beauty items and over the counter medication), suggesting they’re “stealing to order.”

By going over CCTV footage with police, Shea learned the gang in question employed a spotter, who cued them where they could safely transfer their booty from their shopping cart to their backpacks.

Subsequently Shea traced of the stolen goods to car boots sales in Essex, where a few traders were selling large volumes of brand new off the shelf items.

Shea also successfully identified the spotter caught on CCTV as a Romanian national who was also illegally smuggling other Romanians into Britain – possibly to participate in these shoplifting rings. He and other Romanian immigrants connected to the shoplifting rings have distinctive cross tattoos on their neck – Russian mafia insignia that has infiltrated Romania. Some have been investigated in Bucharest for human trafficking.

In his ongoing investigation, Shea also also learned the Romania shoplifting gang uses an online supplier called Prime Value Distribution to onsell their stolen goods in the Middle East, Africa and continental Europe. The Prime Value manager Shea interviews undercover also does a side business in obtaining forged British visas for Indian and Pakistani immigrants. He also finds British brides to help them gain citizenship for $250 a month.