Shoplifters: Stripping the Shelves

Security guards work together to stop shoplifters, but budget cuts and the increase in organised gangs targeting department stores make things complicated.

London's West End is a paradise for shoppers, but not everyone wants to pay. Undercover detectives and guards protect stores from thieves including a woman up to no good at Halloween.

At West Orchards Shopping Centre, guards Paige and Corey keep a close eye on a new toy shop they expect will be a haven for shoplifters... and soon a disturbance breaks out.

Keeping watch at West Orchards today is guard Mal, and it doesn't take long before he receives an SOS from one of their stores. The call goes out and Corey is the first to respond. Most stops at the shopping centre come quietly, but this one protests long and loud, a tactic used by thieves: create chaos and confusion to throw people off the scent.

Out on patrol in the West End, detective Steve takes a call from one of the capital's most exclusive stores, who've detained a women suspected of being on the pinch. The woman is claiming it's an honest mistake. It's up to the stores security manager whether to believe her or not.

Shoplifters across the UK have developed countless ways of trying to go under the radar, but for the guards at West Orchards, there's one thing that will always give them away: body language. Lewis spots someone he suspects is concealing items and is poised to make the stop. The lady protests her innocence, but Lewis suspects she's using the old "I was just making a phone call" trick.

Back in the West End, Jack and Adam of TM Eye's prolific crimes team are on their way to a high-end store, where a woman has been stopped with her sticky fingers inside a pair of their gloves. It looks like the glove thief has been caught red handed.

Undercover detectives Steve and Adam receive another call from a world-famous department store who have detained a suspect who's bagged up over £1000 worth of goods. It's a huge amount of goods all with big ticket prices, but the man seems to be calm and compliant. Could this really be an honest mistake?