In London, it has been the way some people, mainly vagrants in the winter, have done things for years.
I dealt with several such cases in the 1960's.
I remember one guy, he smashed the window of a tailors, put on a jacket and waited outside for the police to arrive.
One o f my first arrests was an guy who appeared drunk when he saw me. I asked him if he was OK and he said he was drunk and wanted a bed for the night. It was a cold night. I told him he was not drunk. He said if I took him to the police station he would be drunk when he got there. I took pity on him. He convinced the sergeant that he was rolling drunk. Five shillings or one night was the penalty at court the next day, and of course he had done the one night.