Shoplifter stole again within day of early release

A prolific shoplifter began reoffending at two north-west London supermarkets the day after he was released early from prison, a Metropolitan Police commander has said.

Det Ch Supt Luke Williams used the case in a letter to MPs and councillors in the area to raise concerns about the government's Early Release Scheme.

The letter, sent on Wednesday, said the individual had been identified as a high-risk offender by the probation service but was released on 1 October from HMP Wandsworth. "Just one day after his release" he was recorded on CCTV stealing, Williams said.

The government said the release scheme was introduced to make space in a prison system that was "on the brink of collapse".

The offender had 16 previous convictions across more than 100 investigations. He was serving a sentence for shoplifting and breaching a criminal behaviour order when he was freed under the Sentencing Act 2026.

Following reports from store staff that the offending continued over the weekend, neighbourhood officers "spent an entire day" locating the man and bringing him into custody, the letter said.

Williams said: "While I am sure it is not surprising that someone with this history went onto reoffend, the speed with which he did so, and the impact on front-line policing, is astonishing."

The man was charged with four counts of shoplifting, breaching court orders and commercial burglary, according to the Met.

"The concerning nature of the Early Release Scheme in this case was a known prolific offender being put back into the community, only to immediately reoffend," Williams said.

"Not only does this place communities at risk but puts demand straight back into policing who must arrest, investigate and put the individual into custody."

He said this case required 27 officer hours to investigate at a cost of £1,887.

Williams, who is borough commander for north-west London, told the MPs and councillors that the Met "fully recognises that the government is dealing with significant pressures" in the prison system but that those pressures are being "transferred on to policing with no recognition".

He said the case was "not just a localised issue", but one being seen by Met officers across the capital.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "We inherited a prison system on the brink of collapse. If we had failed to act, the police would have been forced to halt arrests, putting communities at untold risk.

"We will never jeopardise public safety. That is why we are putting thousands more Neighbourhood Police officers on to our streets, upping police funding to £18.5bn and taking investment in the probation service to record levels."

They added that offenders released early on licence faced the "toughest-ever controls", including exclusion zones and the expansion of electronic tagging.

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