Perfume thief calmly stuffs bottles into his bag - before being arrested moments later by police who tracked his movements on CCTV

By RYAN HOOPER, CRIME CORRESPONDENT Published: 00:01, 19 May 2026 | Updated: 00:15, 19 May 2026 This is the moment a prolific shoplifter calmly ransacked shelves of designer perfume - only to be arrested by police moments later. Homeless Paul Michael Whitehead was spotted helping himself to several bottles of fragrance from a shop in the City of London by staff who recognised him. They raised the alarm with City of London police, who used their CCTV cameras to help quickly locate and apprehend the 46-year-old. It comes as the force today launches its Safer City Streets initiative, with officers deployed across a network of police sentry boxes through the City of London, the business district dubbed the Square Mile. Police will be on foot and bicycle in an effort to keep streets safe and apprehend wanted criminals. Roughly one-third (31%) of all 1,400 shoplifting offences in the Square Mile last year resulted in an arrest, charge or conviction - above the national average of around 18.5%. City of London Police Commissioner Pete O'Doherty said: 'These results show the real value of neighbourhood policing and the strong relationships our officers have built with retailers and businesses across the City. 'When they have confidence their reports will be acted on, offenders pursued and outcomes achieved, they are far more likely to come forward and work with us. Paul Michael Whitehead, 46, was caught on camera calmly stealing bottles of perfume He was spotted by staff who raised the alarm with City of London Police He calmly made off after helping himself to the designer fragrances But City of London Police control room staff were able to locate the suspect on their network of CCTV cameras, and officers were sent to arrest him Police sentry boxes are being used to help prevent and detect crime in the Square Mile, where arrests, charges and convictions for shoplifting is much higher than the national average 'Tackling shoplifting and other acquisitive crime is a priority for the City of London Police and these figures demonstrate that our officers, supported by advanced CCTV and intelligence-led policing, are identifying offenders, making arrests and protecting the businesses and victims.' Tijs Broeke, City of London Police Authority board chair, added: 'Retail crime, including shoplifting, is a blight on businesses across the Square Mile, undermining confidence and affecting staff every day. Tackling it must be a priority. 'Safer City Streets shows what can be achieved through visible policing, targeted action, smart use of technology and a pro-active approach to protecting businesses and identifying offenders.' The City's CCTV network remains one of the most advanced policing assets in the country, allowing officers and control room staff to track suspects in real time, direct resources immediately and protect businesses, workers and the public On April 17, City of London Police control room officers were alerted after store staff recognised Whitehead, who had stolen from the shop days earlier. Control room officers operated their CCTV cameras to track Whitehead's movements from One New Change to Paternoster Square, where he entered a supermarket and stole two bottles of wine. They then followed him towards Fleet Street and directed response officers to his location. Whitehead was arrested by officers and later pleaded guilty to theft offences committed on 14 and 15 April, where he forced open perfume cabinets and stole products worth more than £1,200 in total. He has been remanded in custody and will be sentenced next month. The force has invested Home Office funding to analyse crime data and embed hotspot policing as a permanent strategy, providing officers with data-led briefings on precisely when and where to carry out highly visible patrols to maximise crime reduction. Adding to its CCTV network, the force is adding new cameras in hotspot areas to better detect criminals.  This has already resulted in a reduction in violence and sexual offences, robbery and retail crime, the force said. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.