Moped Thieves Target Shoppers In Sainsbury's Car Park

Smashing car windows and escaping under the barriers during the evenings

Customers of Sainsbury's in Chiswick have been warned to be vigilant following a number of incidents where moped gangs have targeted shoppers.

The incidents have taken place at around 8.30pm in the evening and involve the gangs speeding into the car park and carrying out a 'smash and grab' if they see items left inside vehicles.

One local resident reported an incident last Tuesday (26 June), in which she saw the gang gathering near the back entrance near a trolley point. There were two mopeds with two people on them, they were dressed in black with helmets, and scarves covering their lower faces.

She said; "They were loading their pockets with gravel and then sped through car park trying to find cars that had anything in them and also throwing gravel - either to try and break windows or maybe to deter people witnessing the event. It happened very quickly and I called the police but they were out (of the car park) really quickly."

She said that Sainsbury's staff had told her the gangs once squirted liquid at a member of staff but it did not hit them and did not seem to be anything corrosive.

Staff at Sainsbury's confirmed to us that there had been a number of similar incidents. In a recent smash and grab, the moped thieves had found a laptop left inside a car.

The car park is operated by Euro Parks, but it appears security in the car park is a matter for Sainsbury's. They told us their security guards were on the alert but the thieves operated so quickly and usually in the evenings when there were fewer staff around. They were able to make quick getaways beside the car park barriers because they were using mopeds.

It is believed CCTV does not cover all areas of the car park.

The advice to shoppers is to leave nothing visible, and also try and park in a group of cars as the mopeds find it more difficult to get through a row of cars - they have previously targeted cars with space around them - or in child parking bays. Also be mindful if you see groups on mopeds.

On Friday evening (29 June) a moped gang struck the area again, in St Peter's Square. A local resident reported seeing two mopeds, without number plates, each carrying two men wearing dark helmets, speeding away and going through a red light onto King Street. A few minutes later he spotted a police officer speaking to a woman who was distressed.

The resident said, "We need to have bobbies on the beat back in Chiswick. This situation is out of control and any one of us can be a target."

July 1, 2018