Oxford Street, one of the country’s main shopping destinations, is subject to a dispersal order and police have stepped up their presence following concern over a potential ‘mass shoplifting’ event publicised on social media site TikTok.
The dispersal order is in place until 7am on Friday. The police said it is working closely with local business organisation the New West End Company and that anyone committing a crime would be “dealt with robustly”.
London mayor Sadiq Khan urged anyone tempted to attend the event not to.
The alarm was raised after a post appeared on TikTok about plans to rob an Oxford Street shop, including a date and time.
Khan told the PA news agency: “I am worried about this nonsense we have seen on TikTok encouraging people to go to Oxford Street.
“I’d encourage anybody who’s seen it not to go to Oxford Street. Do not allow yourself to be sucked into an area that could be a high-crime area.
“It won’t be [a high-crime area] because the police work incredibly hard with the local community, with the retailers in that part of London and with those citizens who want to have a good day out on Oxford Street rather than being worried about that sort of nonsense.”
A police spokesperson told PA: “We are working very closely with our partners, including the New West End company, to ensure that any criminal behaviour is dealt with quickly.”
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