The Metropolitan Police has called for fast-track courts after 104 repeat shoplifters were linked to more than 5300 offences in two years.

The group carried out at least 31 offences each before they were jailed, accounting for about a third of London shoplifting cases where a suspect was identified.

The Met said the offenders were behind 4389 shoplifting offences and 1000 other crimes over the past two financial years, with almost all continuing to offend after being charged.

The force, the British Retail Consortium and the Retail Trust have written to the Home Office and Ministry of Justice calling for repeat offenders to appear before magistrates within 72 hours of charge.

The intervention comes after shoplifting hit record levels in England and Wales, with 530,643 offences recorded by police forces in the 12 months to March 31, 2025.

Last year, ministers announced £5 million of funding for Opal, the specialist policing intelligence unit set up to identify and disrupt organised retail crime gangs, until March 2028.

Met assistant commissioner Matt Twist said: “We know we haven’t always got the response to retail crime right. Over the past 18 months, we have changed that, giving neighbourhood officers new technology to quickly identify and arrest the small number of offenders responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime.

“Working with retailers and sharing evidence has been crucial in building strong cases and securing charges. Where under-reporting remains, we are working with businesses to ensure incidents are reported to bring those offenders to justice.”

Twist said the government’s £5 million funding to disrupt organised retail crime was welcome, but warned the same offenders were returning “again and again”.

“That shows the system needs to change,” he said.

The Met said it had used a mix of data, intelligence and frontline teams to target prolific shoplifters across London.

It said a fast-tracked retrospective facial recognition process had achieved an 80.5 per cent identification rate for unknown retail offenders. In one case, the technology identified a suspect linked to 52 previously unsolved offences.

Met data showed 6990 of 101,924 shoplifting cases in London, or 6.8 per cent, had a positive outcome in the 12 months to May 2025. These include charges, summons, cautions and community resolutions.

British Retail Consortium chief executive Helen Dickinson said: “Retailers and police are working together to tackle retail theft and the violence and abuse that is the everyday reality for too many of our colleagues.

“To truly turn the tide on retail crime, the government must strengthen the justice system so offenders, particularly repeat offenders, are brought to justice quickly and effectively.”

Police and retail groups are also calling for a clearer escalation system for offenders who breach criminal behaviour orders and more consistent enforcement.

Retail Trust chief executive Chris Brook-Carter said the organisation was working with police forces and hundreds of retailers to make it easier for staff to report crime and abuse.

The government said it was taking action to tackle shop theft, with charge volumes up 17 per cent, court delays being addressed and the £200 threshold for shoplifting prosecutions being scrapped.