LONDON | Catch a Thief UK News Commuters on London’s iconic Tube system are being reminded that wearing balaclavas remains legal, sparking debate over public safety and personal freedom. Despite recent security concerns and heightened awareness of potential threats in transport hubs, Transport for London (TfL) has confirmed that there is currently no blanket ban on balaclavas or other face coverings, aside from masks required for health reasons. Image: Catch a Thief UK News F

The Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, has publicly condemned the repeated vandalism of life-saving emergency equipment along the River Nene, describing the acts as “disgusting” and pledging to take action to prevent further tragedies. Image: Cambridge and Peterborough Mayor Paul Bristow, Ellie- Mai McNutt, Sharon McNutt, Farrah McNutt, Remi McNutt and Kali McNutt In a Facebook post earlier today , the Mayor wrote : “You have to be a particular typ

Catch a Thief UK | Criminal Psychology Across the UK, retail workers, store owners and security teams are all saying the same thing: something has changed. Image: Catch a Thief UK Shoplifting is more frequent, more open and more aggressive. Abuse of shop staff is increasingly normalised. Repeat offenders return day after day with little fear of consequences. Many incidents go unreported because people believe nothing will happen anyway. This is often framed as a “petty c

Catch a Thief UK Breaking News | Gloucester A man who threatened a Forest of Dean shopkeeper at knifepoint has been sentenced to five years in prison. Eksteen De Villiers, 27, of no fixed address, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on 9 December and pleaded guilty to robbery and possession of a bladed item in a public place. The attack took place at a convenience store near Lydney on Sunday 26 October 2025. Video: Gloucestershire Constabulary Wearing a balaclava, De Vil

By Catch a Thief UK News Team The death of a security guard following a confrontation with a suspected shoplifter at an Asda supermarket in Scotland has become a defining case in the UK’s growing retail crime crisis, highlighting the escalating risks faced by frontline workers and the wider impact on community safety. Image : Suspect Natasha Smith The incident occurred at the Asda store in Westway Retail Park, Arbroath, Angus, where Alun Harris-Richards, 61, a former

By Catch a Thief UK News Retail crime in the United Kingdom is no longer a hidden or isolated issue. What was once dismissed as “low-level shoplifting” has evolved into a nationwide challenge affecting retailers, petrol stations, staff safety, local economies, and community wellbeing. Image: Catch a Thief UK From shoplifting and organised retail theft to fuel theft, civil recovery, and non-means-of-payment (NMOP) incidents, crime linked to financial hardship, addiction,

By Catch a Thief UK News Desk Police forces across England and Wales are set to undergo one of the most significant technological transformations in modern history, as the government confirms a nationwide rollout of facial recognition and artificial intelligence tools as part of a sweeping overhaul of policing. Image: Catch a Thief UK Ministers describe the plans as essential to tackling serious crime, reducing backlogs, and modernising overstretched forces. Critics, howe

West Midlands Police are appealing to the public for help after a robbery at a petrol station in Birmingham Road, Great Barr, sparked a major investigation. Detectives have released CCTV footage and are urging anyone who recognises the individuals captured to come forward. Image: Suspect Robber West Midlands Police The incident, described by officers as a robbery rather than a simple theft, occurred at the busy service forecourt and has prompted a growing community concern ov

By Catch a Thief UK | Investigations Britain’s police service is entering the most radical transformation in half a century. Quietly but decisively, long-standing assumptions about local policing, accountability, and public access to law enforcement are being rewritten, with consequences that will be felt on every high street, estate and rural lane in the country. Image: Catch a Thief UK At the heart of the overhaul are three converging realities: shrinking physical poli

Catch a Thief UK News | London Britain is entering what ministers and policing experts describe as the largest transformation of law enforcement in more than half a century, with the creation of a powerful national crime-fighting body already being compared to the United States’ FBI. But unlike a single launch date, this reform will unfold gradually over the next decade, reshaping policing from Parliament to neighbourhood streets. Image: Catch a Thief UK At the centre o

By Catch a Thief UK News – 4 January 2026 Shoplifting offenders in the UK are now increasingly likely to escape a custodial sentence, according to a new report in The Telegraph, a development that has alarmed retailers, policing chiefs and community safety campaigners alike. Image: Catch a Thief UK News Figures revealed in the Telegraph show that only around 2% of convicted shoplifters are being sent to prison, even as retail crime reaches record levels across the country. T

Wembley , London Catch a Thief UK News A dramatic attempted robbery in Wembley, northwest London, ended in a courageous stand by a shopkeeper who fought off the assailant after the man threatened to set both him and the store on fire. Suspect Robber Dowses Shopkeeper and Store with Petrol The incident unfolded on the morning of Sunday, 14 December 2025, at approximately 08:45 GMT when a hooded man entered a local convenience store and approached the counter, demanding ca

By Catch a Thief UK - December 23 , 2025 The year 2025 has proven to be one of the most challenging for retail businesses across the United Kingdom. From high‑value thefts and serial shoplifting to violent attacks and abuse of frontline staff, the sector has faced unprecedented pressures, financially, operationally, and socially. Image: A Look Back At Retail Crime 2025 Catch a Thief UK News National Retail Crime Trends Shoplifting & Theft Official statistics indica

Across the United Kingdom, many communities are reporting the same experience: rising crime, repeat offenders, declining high streets, and a growing sense that policing is stretched thin. Shoplifting, antisocial behaviour, drug-related offending and low-level violence are becoming normalised in places that were once stable and well ordered. Image: Crime Rising in the United Kingdom - Catch a Thief UK News This is not simply a matter of perception. It is the result of multiple

Retail crime across the UK has reached its highest recorded levels, with shoplifting, organised retail theft and abuse of shop staff now presenting a serious and growing challenge for businesses, police forces and local communities alike. Image: Catch a Thief UK According to the latest official figures, police in England and Wales recorded over half a million shoplifting offences in the last year, the highest level since records began. However, retail industry bodies warn tha

Thames Valley Police are appealing for information after two women were allegedly followed and inappropriately touched inside a busy TK Maxx store in Reading. Image Of TKMaxx Suspect CCTV Appeal The incidents took place at The Oracle shopping centre on Monday, 1 December 2025. Officers report that a man followed multiple women through the store, and in two separate cases, allegedly touched them inappropriately. When confronted by one of the victims, the suspect reportedly fle

Liverpool , Merseyside — Merseyside Police A prolific shoplifter has been jailed after repeatedly targeting a busy city-centre Boots store, stealing hundreds of pounds’ worth of shampoo and other hair products in a series of brazen thefts carried out within hours. Image: Merseyside Police Prolific Thief Ryan Burgess 30-year-old Ryan Burgess struck the Boots on Market Street, Liverpool, three times on Monday 3 November, returning to the same location within minutes to steal

Catch a Thief Birmingham , UK A 32-year-old rapper, known as Twista Cheese, has been sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, plus a two-year licence period, after a shocking petrol-station attack in which he used a makeshift flamethrower. The court described him as a “dangerous offender”. Image: Convicted Rapper Omar Abdirizak The Holloway Head Service Station Attack The incident took place on 12 January 2025 at the Holloway Head Service Station in Birming

How This Determines What a Security Guard or Member of the Public Can Lawfully Do Understanding the distinction between summary and indictable offences is essential for security professionals, retail staff, and members of the public. It informs how powers of detention, reasonable force, and citizen’s arrest can lawfully be applied. Image: Catch a Thief UK 🔹 1 . Summary Offences Definition : Summary offences are less serious crimes and are only tried in Magistrat

Catch a Thief UK News : 22 November 2025 In a report published on 21 November 2025, the UK Government has clarified the legal boundaries for Security Industry Authority (SIA)-licensed guards when it comes to using force against suspected shoplifters — as well as their rights around self-defence, detention, and response to armed threats. Image: Catch a Thief UK What the Request Asked A formal request was made to the SIA by a government body to outline: 1 . To what extent