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 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

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

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

Nottingham, 19 November 2025 Farrah McNutt, founder of Catch a Thief UK, appeared on BBC Radio Nottingham today with host Laurie Dyche, discussing the alarming rise in retail crime and violence across the United Kingdom. BBC Radio Nottingham Interview with Farrah McNutt During the interview, Farrah highlighted how violent incidents and thefts in petrol stations, convenience stores, and other retail outlets have sharply increased in recent years. She spoke candidly about her m

Catch a Thief UK – Retail Crime & Safety News A 19-year-old man who pretended to be a wheelchair user to steal beer before violently attacking a security guard has been jailed following a series of dangerous and abusive offences across Kent. Imagine: Kent Police violent robber: Davey Brown Davey Brown, of Winch’s Garth, Staplehurst, was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to three years and one month in prison after pleading guilty to robbery, affray, criminal damage,

An education feature for Catch a Thief UK by Farrah McNutt A petition currently circulating across the UK has been signed by thousands of people demanding the legal right for members of the public to carry incapacitant sprays (such as pepper spray) for their self‑defence, especially in light of rising knife‑crime and street violence. While the motive behind the petition is understandable, the legal reality remains more complex and simply carrying a spray may expose y

Catch a Thief UK News – Updated Rail Security Briefing Date: Monday, 3 November 2025 By: Catch a Thief UK News Desk A serious incident aboard a train on the British Transport Police‑patrolled network has prompted a fresh security push — coupled with the relaunch of the long‑running public awareness campaign to make passengers part of the safety net. Incident summary On Saturday evening (1 November 2025), a mass stabbing took place on a London‑bound train operated by London N

Story By Catch a Thief UK Investigations Team Farrah McNutt, CEO of Catch a Thief UK, has issued a public safety advisory following a sharp rise in smash-and-grab robberies and related crimes across the UK, USA, and Europe. These crimes increasingly target jewelry stores, retail outlets, homes, and members of the public in public spaces, often involving organized groups using vehicles, weapons, and fast getaways. Image: Catch a Thief UK “The threat is no longer limite