# Shop owners lock doors as retail crime surges in South East

> Businesses across Kent, Surrey and Sussex are fighting back against organised shoplifting gangs with new security measures.
- Title: Shop owners lock doors as retail crime surges in South East
- Summary: Businesses across Kent, Surrey and Sussex are fighting back against organised shoplifting gangs with new security measures. Retail crime in the South East…
- Keywords: retail crime, shoplifting, kent, surrey, sussex, paige mengers, cobham, canterbury, kent police, facial recognition, organised crime, south east england
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3v45r3g7dro
- Published: 2026-09-16T05:06:05.247+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: retail crime, shoplifting, kent, surrey, sussex, paige mengers, cobham, canterbury, kent police, facial recognition, organised crime, south east england
## Locked doors during business hours
A Surrey boutique owner now keeps her door locked and makes customers ring a bell to enter after thieves with wire cutters raided her store in January 2025.

> One barricaded the door, the other came in and cut the wires on the bags and stole quite a lot of them
## Shoplifting up 52% since pandemic
Kent, Surrey and Sussex recorded 42,674 shoplifting offences in 2025/26, compared with 28,048 cases in 2019/20.
## Sophisticated organised gangs at work
Thieves scout shops beforehand, knowing exactly what to steal and how to get in and out quickly. They target designer goods and high-value items.

> They're very organised, they know exactly what they are doing
## Rural farm shops hit hard
Gibson's Farm Shop in Wingham lost thousands of pounds in a year to gangs stealing meat joints and alcohol. They have to drive there, so it's not opportunistic.
## Social media shaming works
After posting thieves' images online, some offenders walked into police stations with money to pay back the stolen goods.
## Trolleys and prams as getaway tools
Shoplifters fill trolleys or load prams with goods, then walk out. Some film items they want stolen and send others in to grab them.
## Canterbury's dedicated retail crime team
Kent Police set up a specialist unit using facial recognition and CCTV to quickly identify repeat offenders responsible for most thefts.

> It's a set few individuals who commit a disproportionate amount of that crime
## Real-time radio alerts between shops
Canterbury's City Watch scheme connects 137 businesses with radios. When an incident unfolds, shops can warn each other and police immediately.
## Sharing intelligence across Sussex
Business crime partnerships flag known offenders between areas, so shops can identify repeat thieves before they commit multiple crimes.
## Charges up but crime still high
Shop theft fell 4% last year and charges rose 19%, but only 23% of investigations led to charges. The government now treats retail crime as a priority.
## Key takeaway

Retail crime in the South East has jumped 52% since 2019, driven by organised gangs using sophisticated tactics to steal high-value goods.