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 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.’
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.
‘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.’