Private police force is putting shoplifters in the dock
Company steps in to have thieves prosecuted after retailers’ concern at being ignored by real detectives
THIEVES have been taken to court by private police for the first time in Britain over concern about forces failing to pursue “low-level” crimes.
A pickpocket and 15 shoplifters are due to appear before magistrates in the next two months after being summonsed by a private policing firm, which has CCTV footage of the thefts, video confessions and witness statements to support its prosecution cases put together by its lawyers.
One shoplifter who admitted stealing Gucci perfume from a London store has already been convicted and will be sentenced in September.
David McKelvey, a former Met Police detective chief inspector and founder of TM Eye, said it had launched the prosecution service after frustration with the police’s refusal to prosecute shoplifters his officers caught.
“The police would either not turn up or when they did, they literally took the handcuffs off the shoplifters, told them not to be a naughty boy, and not to do it again. Within hours, those people were committing offences in a different shop or even the same shop,” he said.
“We decided that if we could get a name and address and sufficient evidence, we will not waste the police’s time, and will mount the prosecution. In reality, it works.”
It follows a government plea to police chiefs to prosecute thieves stealing items worth less than £200 after retailers’ complaints that forces have abandoned low-level thefts.
TM Eye started by specialising in investigating and prosecuting counterfeit and fake goods rackets where it says it has brought more than 500 successful prosecutions working with police forces and agencies internationally.
It launched My Local Bobby two years ago to provide neighbourhood policing to combat burglaries, vandalism and other anti-social behaviour.
It promises to have a response at crime scenes within five minutes, for a monthly fee of up to £200 per household. Its 30 “bobbies” are largely former police officers and ex-military.
Only one in 80 thefts currently results in the offender being charged as “low-harm” crime has been deprioritised by police. “Police have moved away from these prolific offences, socalled low-level offending.” said Mr
McKelvey. “That’s now been cut by 60 to 80 per cent. We are giving the retail outlets another option.”
Nicholas Richards, a career criminal with 18 convictions for shoplifting, was TM Eye’s first to be prosecuted – for stealing £170 of perfume from Boots.
On the company’s work, Tom Ironside, director of regulation at the British Retail Consortium, said: “These measures demonstrate how retailers feel compelled to go to extraordinary lengths to ensure action is taken to address retail crime.”