Serial Greggs shoplifter is let back on the streets despite admitting 80 offences - as police slam Labour's soft touch sentencing reforms

A prolific Greggs shoplifter has been let back on the streets despite admitting to 80 offences, as Met officers slam Labour's soft-touch reforms.Tiffany O'Neill, 28, has been arrested, charged and remanded to court 11 times since May after continuously terrorising a single Greggs in London.She was charged with 69 theft offences, including stealing more than £2,000 worth of soft drinks from one shop.Yet she avoided prison at Croydon Magistrates' Court today, and was given a 26-week sentence, suspended for 12 months.Under new constraints brought in by Labour, sentences of less than a year are required to be suspended unless very specific exceptions apply.Senior officers have blasted the rules, as the prolific shoplifter has now been released back into the community, despite reoffending so frequently. The Metropolitan Police said officers spent more than 120 hours on the single case, including preparing case files, carrying out further arrests and attending court hearings.At all but one court appearance in recent months, she was granted bail, despite repeatedly breaching her bail conditions and returning to target the same Greggs store on Electric Avenue in Brixton.Tiffany O'Neill, 28, shoplifting from the Greggs store on Electric Avenue in BrixtonO'Neill was initially banned from entering the London Borough of Lambeth and required to wear a GPS tag as a condition of her bail. However, despite repeated offending whilst on bail, the GPS tag was never fitted.Three sentencing hearings were previously adjourned because she failed to appear in court, and a fourth was delayed earlier this week due to tech issues at the court.This also put extra demand on officers who had to find and arrest O'Neill, following the first three adjournments.In addition to the suspended sentence, a Criminal Behaviour Order was also granted banning her from Brixton town centre and all Greggs stores in the UK for two years.Sergeant Chris Wilkinson, who led the investigation, said: 'Our officers worked relentlessly over several months to build the evidence needed to bring this prolific offender before the courts.'Despite multiple arrests and repeated offences, we remained focused on securing a positive outcome for our community. Her persistent offending caused repeated distress to staff, harmed the business and placed a significant demand on police resources.'We recognise that courts are obliged to follow the guidelines on suspending sentences, but it's obviously a disappointment that someone who we know has reoffended so frequently is now back out in the community.'We hope this marks a change in her offending, but if it doesn't we will be there to intervene and put her back before the courts.'Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said: 'A small number of prolific offenders continue to be responsible for the majority of crime and harm in our communities. 'We are increasingly arresting the same people again and again when they ignored bail or license conditions, not complied with their electronic tags, or in many cases all of the above. The cumulative impact on retailers and their staff is enormous.'Our focus has to be on putting suspects before the courts. We need the CPS, courts, prisons and probation to work with us to break the cycle of continued release and re-offending. 'While we have made significant progress in tackling shoplifting, cases like this show why greater focus on prolific offenders remains essential and how police alone cannot fix this.' The repeat shoplifter who stole £2,000 of soft drinks from one branch of GreggsRoisin Currie CBE, Chief Executive of Greggs, said: 'The safety and wellbeing of our colleagues and customers is always our priority, and persistent incidents of theft can have a real impact on those in our shops.'We are grateful to the Metropolitan Police for their continued work with retailers, including Greggs, to tackle repeat offending.'Retail crime is an industry-wide issue and we continue to strengthen our approach, including the rollout of Auror technology across all of our shops, investment in CCTV and trials of a new shop format in a small number of locations exposed to higher levels of anti-social behaviour. 'We also work closely with law enforcement and industry partners to share intelligence, helping us to better prevent and respond to these incidents and maintain safe, welcoming environments for our colleagues and customers.'We support efforts to apprehend repeat offenders, and we welcome calls for meaningful consequences for those who repeatedly target retailers. Importantly, we would like to see a renewed focus on positive interventions and services that prevent reoffending.'Met data published that month revealed that just 104 prolific shoplifters were linked to 4,389 offences over the last two financial years – accounting for almost a third of all incidents where a suspect was identified.Police said closer collaboration between police and retailers, including the use of technology that allows retailers to submit CCTV footage and witness statements directly to officers, is helping them identify offenders, make arrests and build cases more quickly.Previously, officers might have had to wait up to 28 days or longer for CCTV and statements, now they get that evidence in minutes. Met Police officers have spoken of their furstration that the criminal has been allowed to return to the streetsA spokesman for charity Revolving Doors said repeat offending is often fuelled by addiction, mental health issues and homelessness.'The anger of retailers and shop workers is justified,' they said. 'Theft is not victimless, and abuse of staff is intolerable.'But if we want fewer thefts rather than just more arrests, we have to ask a harder question: why does the same small group of people keep cycling through crisis and custody repeatedly?'The answer, again and again, is addiction, poor mental health and homelessness – frequently all three at once.'The people we work with show that recovery and rebuilding lives are possible with the right support. Many have themselves been through the cycle of arrest, release and reoffending. With treatment, a roof and someone who sticks with them, they stop.'Success should mean fewer repeat offences and safer communities, alongside more people able to recover, contribute and realise their potential.'