Dispatches has uncovered some of the biggest controversies facing British society since 1987. And its latest – Britain’s Shoplifting Gangs Exposed (Channel 4, 25 November, 8pm) – doesn’t break this tradition.

The eye-opening episode saw journalist Matt Shea hunt for the ringleader of one of the first organised retail crime groups to hit the UK: the ‘Morrisons Four’. It’s a slightly benign moniker for the gang and its upward network of mobsters: in the year from October 2022, they hit over 50 stores across 30 counties in England and Wales, stealing £120,000 of goods.

Of course, that’s not unfamiliar to the retail sector. But the documentary’s analysis of how the gang operates in stores revealed tactics all retailers can watch out for. This includes the ‘spotter’, who surveys the area, and the others, who fill the trolleys. Products targeted include high-value goods such as alcohol and beauty products from steal-to-order shopping lists – but perhaps unexpectedly, packets of toothpaste and Lemsip.

So where do these products end up? Car boot sales was one end of the chain, while Shea’s search for the ringleader in Romania (spoiler alert: he found him) eventually revealed wholesaler Prime Value Distribution in Bedford was also taking the stolen goods.

It was scary to see just how organised these groups are. But Shea’s determination to confront these criminals in person showed they are not untouchable. The more light shone on this rampantly out-of-control issue through shows like Dispatches can only help to tackle the problem.

Topics