THIS shocking footage shows two women brazenly stealing £2k worth of clothing from a central London store in broad daylight.
The shoplifters entered boutique Jovonna London, in Marylebone, and made off with a haul – including two fur coats worth £700 each – on October 29.
CCTV shows two women wearing caps and carrying large shopping bags walking in to the store, as a man stands at the door as a lookout.
Staff at the shop attempt to close the door to prevent the shoplifters from leaving, but the man says “don’t you dare”.
The women then proceed to stuff clothes, including two fur jackets and a clutch bag, from the shop’s racks and mannequins before fleeing the scene.
Co-owner Coco Kenneally, 41, said she thought the shoplifters were ‘stealing to order’ – as they took items of all the same size.
She said: “They’re not scared of anything, it is quite scary.
“They took the time to strip the mannequin, they came in knowing exactly what they were going to take.
“They had a look-out and protection from the guy outside, it’s a really scary situation.
“It feels like, to them, they’re not scared of anything and no-one can touch them – the law doesn’t apply to them.”
Coco says that the store has suffered from six shoplifting incidents this year – including one where a member of staff was assaulted – compared to just one last year.
The co-owner, who opened the independent brand’s first boutique in 2015, says police haven’t even called her – let alone visited – since reporting the most recent incident.
She’s so scared in the aftermath of the crime that she does not want to be photographed in media coverage.
She added: “In previous years we might get visits from the police after an incident, but this year no-one ever visited.
“Even for this incident, I think it’s really serious, but we haven’t had any calls or visits from the police.
“A couple of years ago we would call the police, but nothing ever happens with them.
“We were advised to just report it online and upload footage and witness statements. Nowadays we just stop calling.
“Once it’s stolen it’s not an immediate threat any more, so they just don’t attend.
“We just feel like we’re reporting a crime and it’s never getting investigated.”
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “At 4:23pm on October 29, the Met received an online report of a theft at a boutique in George Street, Westminster.
“It is alleged that three suspects stole clothes worth around £2,000. No arrests have been made at this stage but officers will be speaking to the owners and making CCTV enquiries as part of their investigation.
“If anyone saw the incident or has any relevant information, please contact the Met on 101, quoting 01/8143806/25.
“We are sorry the owners and staff of Jovonna London do not feel supported.
“Our officers will be reaching out imminently to rectify this and completely recognise the impact shoplifting has on businesses, particularly small or independent retailers like this one.
“We have solved 92 per cent more shoplifting cases so far this year.
“We are prioritising neighbourhood policing and putting more officers in local teams to tackle issues that matter most to Londoners, such as shoplifting.
“Officers are working closely with local business owners across the capital to crack down on the most prolific shoplifters who cause fear to retail workers and have negative impacts on local communities.”
