posh london street is using this new tactic to stop shoplifters

The Strand is dotted with theatres and high-end shops (Picture: Getty)

One of London’s most famous high streets is trialling a new method to stop shoplifting from its stores.

The Strand in the West End of the city has seen an uptick in shoplifting,prompting shops to enact a ‘locked door’ policy from now on.

Signs warning shoppers to wait to be let in have been put up on doors,with one reading: ‘Please knock and a member of staff will be with you shortly.’

Shoplifting incidents have risen 20% year-on-year to 2024, reaching the highest level since records began,according to official figures.

A source told The Sun: ‘The Strand is one of London’s busiest shopping streets and it’s shocking that store managers are having to introduce this last-resort measure.’

There were 530,643 reported shoplifting offences in the year to March,a 20% increase on 2024,the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. 

In London,retailers are often helpless when it comes to addressing the major issue.

The popular shopping area attracts millions each year (Picture: Getty)

Violence and intimidation of workers is also of huge concern to groups representing retail and security workers. 

The rising cost of living has been widely cited as the key reason fuelling the surge in retail crime, with research showing a link between deprivation and the hardest-hit areas nationally.

Counter-measures taken by retailers include replacing products on shelves with dummy products or label tags,investing in better CCTV,hiring security guards and body cameras for staff.

Last year,a network of shoplifters managed to steal at least £73,000 worth of champagne from British shops before trafficking it abroad.

The group wear Bluetooth headsets to communicate while committing the thievery in the ‘mafia-style’ operation.

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