Five men convicted as the Met’s shoplifting crackdown continues

Five men who targeted shops across Barnet have been convicted as part of the Met’s continued drive to bring London’s most prolific shoplifters to justice.

Officers in Colindale made 18 arrests in the space of just four days and secured 85 charges.

They identified the 15 worst affected shops across the borough that were repeatedly targeted over the past six months. They worked with staff and security teams to streamline the way they gathered evidence to identify persistent offenders.

The operation was carried out between Thursday, 30 January and Sunday, 2 February.

In one case, officers spotted a man wanted for a string of thefts in the area acting suspiciously by the Co-op on East Barnet Road at 07:30hrs on Saturday, 1 February, before heading inside.

This led to them carrying out a carefully coordinated sting to arrest the offender, who was tackled to the ground by the exit as he attempted to make off on an electric scooter with a bag of stolen meat.

The incident was caught on CCTV and the footage recovered as part of the investigation.

Gavin Fonti, 44 (20.12.81), of no fixed address, was charged with theft from the store, as well as a further five counts of theft from a nearby BP Garage on Great North Road.

He appeared at Willesden Magistrates Court on Monday, 3 February, where he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison. 

Sergeant Dave Salmon, from the Colindale Emergency Response Policing Team, said: 

“This is an excellent example of neighbourhood policing at its best, and thanks to the awareness and quick-thinking of our officers, we’ve been able to remove more prolific shoplifters from our streets.

"We know shoplifting has a significant impact on businesses and shop staff, as well as members of the public. It often fuels other crime and anti-social behaviour, so we’ve taken a proactive approach with the worst affected stores.

“This is not only building stronger relationships between Safer Neighbourhood officers and local businesses, but also instilling more trust and confidence in local policing.”

This work is another example of the steps the Met is taking to remove the worst offending shoplifters across the capital.

Elsewhere in London, recent enforcement activity in Lambeth has led to 11 of the 14 most prolific shoplifters in the area serving prison terms, while in Homerton, officers have made 15 arrests relating to more 50 crimes since September 2024, of which six people are currently serving prison terms.

Those sentenced alongside Fonti for offences in the Barnet area were:

Craig Buttery, 36 (18.04.89), of no fixed address, was charged with 22 thefts and two breaches of a Community Banning Order, and will serve four months behind bars.

Geoff Kilday, 49 (01.11.76), of no fixed address, has been handed a 12-week prison sentence after being charged with one count of theft.

Mohammed Bey, 52 (13.11.73), of Creighton Avenue, Muswell Hill, was charged with one count of theft and given a 12-week suspended sentence for 12 months.

While Leon Day, 42 (02.08.1983), of no fixed address, was sentenced to 24 weeks’ imprisonment after being charged with 21 counts of theft.