Moment serial shoplifter tackled off e-scooter by police in north London

This is the moment a serial shoplifter was tackled off his e-scooter by police lying in wait outside a store in north London.

CCTV captures Gavin Nicholls, 44, emptying the contents of a meat-chiller into a bag at 7.30am.

As he fled with £53 worth of goods, he is quickly tackled to the ground by a plain-clothes officer at Co-op shop in Barnet on February 1.

Nicholls, of no fixed address, was wanted for a string of thefts in the area.

At Willesden Magistrates’ Court, he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison having admitted stealing from the Co-op, plus five counts of theft of meat and alcohol valued at £655 from a nearby BP Garage on Great North Road.

Nicholls - who also uses the surname Fonti - is one of five shoplifters caught as part of a Metropolitan Police operation around Colindale. It led to 18 arrests and 85 charges in the space of four days.

Gavin Nicholls was wanted for a string of thefts in the area (Metropolitan Police)

Last month, it was revealed that in the 12 months to September last year, incidents of customer theft reported by retailers in the UK had risen by 3.7 million to 20.4 million, costing retailers £2billion.

Sergeant Dave Salmon, from the Colindale emergency response policing team, said: “This is an excellent example of neighbourhood policing at its best.

“Thanks to the awareness and quick-thinking of our officers, we’ve been able to remove more prolific shoplifters from our streets.

Game is up for Gavin Nicholls as he is surrounded by police (Metropolitan Police)

“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.”