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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
'Asylum seekers staying in taxpayer funded hotels' are caught shoplifting thousands of pounds worth of designer gear from West End stores
Asylum seekers have been caught shoplifting thousands of pounds worth of designer gear from West End stores, according to reports. The organised gangs were allegedly seen raiding stores including Ralph Lauren, John Lewis and Liberty before heading back to their taxpayer-funded Holiday Inn. A private security guard who blew the whistle on the racket complained police failure to tackle the issue had left the area 'verging on lawlessness'. Two migrants were watched by a reporter meeting up at a Holiday Inn in Wembley last Thursday. The pair - who reportedly had bags lined with tin foil to confuse security systems - jumped Tube ticket barriers before leaving Bond Street station. They are then said to have stolen goods from 15 shops, including Reiss, Hollister and Lilywhites, before handing them to a middleman. The whistleblower claimed that, if caught, the migrants would show their ID and admit to being asylum seekers - aware they would face no serious action. The men are believed to use the money to pay off their debts to the people smugglers The organised gangs were seen raiding stores near Bond Street (pictured) The security professional told The Sun, which made the claims: 'The police only turn up in two out of every ten men we detain. 'They don't have the resources, and when they do, the most they do is give them a Community Resolution Order. 'For me and my team, the men are easy to spot because they constantly reoffend.' The Holiday Inn in Wembley is home to around 700 migrants and one of more than 200 asylum hotels around Britain. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: 'It is a slap in the face to British people for illegal migrants to break into the UK then engage in brazen criminality. They need to be deported immediately. 'The small boats are fuelling crime and making the public less safe. It's a national security emergency and Keir Starmer should treat it as one.' Liberty - the famous department store - was one of the outlets targeted Your browser does not support iframes. New figures published yesterday showed shoplifting has risen by 20 per cent to hit another record. Police recorded 530,643 offences in England and Wales in the year to March 2025 - the highest figure since records begun and up from 444,022 in the previous year. Shoplifting has become an increasing nightmare for High Street shops, with only a tiny minority of offenders ever charged. While some shoplifting may be fuelled by cost of living pressures, police believe organised gangs targeting expensive goods like steak, wine and high-end electronics are largely to blame. Last year, a national police unit set up to tackle the scourge of shoplifting across Britain identified more than 20 gangs and 200 criminals driving the epidemic. A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'No one claiming asylum should be breaking our laws and we will take robust action to remove anyone found to be doing so. 'Since July 2024, we have removed over 5,000 foreign national offenders – a 14% increase on the previous year. Your browser does not support iframes. 'We are also cracking down on shoplifting across the country with 3,000 new neighbourhood police officers and PCSOs to keep our communities safe, and introducing tough new laws to tackle retail crime in our landmark Crime and Policing Bill.' A spokesman for the Met said: 'Across the Met we're focused on tackling the most prolific shoplifters as we know the fear they cause retail workers and the negative impact their offending has on communities. 'We know shoplifting has a huge impact on businesses and also fuels other crime and anti-social behaviour. Through proactive patrols and activity the Met has solved 163 per cent more cases this year than in the same period last year. 'We're working with retailers to understand their concerns and we continue to encourage them to report offences to us as it helps us take a targeted approach to tackling offending.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
Fury as brazen asylum seekers filmed shoplifting designer gear worth thousands before returning to hotel YOU pay for
ASYLUM seekers staying in taxpayer-funded hotels are swiping thousands of pounds of designer gear from top stores. Tipped off by a security firm, we saw organised gangs exit Liberty in London with alarm-dodging bags of luxury items. Advertisement 7 Asylum seekers were caught on video leaving their taxpayer-funded hotels to raid 15 stores in five hours Credit: Ian Whittaker 7 Cap-wearing thief inside the central London Reiss store Credit: Ian Whittaker 7 The same man with jeans shorts in John Lewis on Oxford Street Credit: Ian Whittaker They pounced at stores including Liberty, Polo Ralph Lauren and John Lewis — then headed back to their Holiday Inn home. The Sun was alerted to the situation by exasperated security staff who feel powerless to stop the brazen thefts. A whistle-blower said 70 per cent of The man, who works in private security, said his teams are at breaking point and the area 'verging on lawless'. Advertisement READ MORE ON MIGRANT HOTELS He added: 'The police rarely attend and the maximum we can hold them for is four hours — after that we just have to let them go. We see the same faces again and again.' Shadow Justice Secretary 'The small boats are fuelling crime and making the public less safe. It's a national security emergency and Last Thursday we saw a team of two migrants meet up at the Holiday Inn, Wembley. Advertisement Most read in The Sun Latest They carried bags lined with tin foil that stop security tags going off when leaving stores. After jumping Underground ticket barriers they headed to Bond Street station before hitting 15 nearby shops including Lillywhites, Hollister and Reiss. Police swarm 4-star London hotel set to house asylum seekers as furious protesters gather outside Later they met other teams and showed their ill-gotten gains. They also appeared to take stolen goods to a middle man before buying whisky and returning to the hotel. Advertisement It is believed many migrants shoplift to pay debts they owe bosses behind the crossings. Our whistle-blower said that, when detained, the migrants show ID cards and admit they are The security professional added: 'The situation is getting out of control. We are helpless and cannot tackle the sheer numbers flooding the streets. 'I honestly think the area is verging on lawless. The police only turn up in two out of every ten men we detain. Advertisement 'They don't have the resources, and when they do, the most they do is give them a Community Resolution Order. 7 Our investigators watched as gangs used professional tactics to raid shops in the West End Credit: Ian Whittaker 7 Migrants stroll through Soho with bag carrying their stolen goods Credit: Ian Whittaker 'For me and my team, the men are easy to spot because they constantly reoffend. Advertisement 'Once we do detain them, that just means their mates are even busier. They are often violent as well. We print the prices for the stolen items and take mugshots and their ID cards to give to the police. 'Usually it is high-ticket goods they target like Gucci, Prada and Louis Vuitton. 'Sometimes they won't have any ID but they tell us they came over on the boats and their address is the Holiday Inn or the Barbican.' The whistle-blower added of the alarm-dodging foil bags: 'They know what they are doing. They work in groups or pairs. One will be a spotter or cause a distraction while the other bags the stuff. Advertisement 'We've noticed them sharing the same foil bag. So it is swapped around at the hotel depending who is going out on the rob that day. They always come after lunch, so 2pm.' The Holiday Inn in Wembley is home to 700 immigrants and is one of more than 200 asylum hotels around Britain. Residents get three meals a day and a weekly allowance. Ex-Tory security minister Sir John Hayes said: 'This very important investigation by The Sun shows Britain is importing criminals in droves. Advertisement 'It's not fair to taxpayers or businesses to endure criminals who fully know they're here illegally then worsen that by committing further crimes. 'There is evidence here that this may be a very well organised crimewave, rather than sporadic cases by individuals. 'The Home Office must investigate immediately.' The Met said: 'Our proactive patrols and activity solved 163 per cent more shoplifting cases this year than last.' Advertisement Holiday Inn was approached for comment. Liberty, John Lewis and New West End Company which represents shops all declined to comment. 7 We saw a team of two migrants gather at the Holiday Inn, Wembley Credit: Ray Collins 7 Thieves pounced at stores including Liberty Credit: Getty Advertisement
