A West Bridgford resident has described how he chased down and confronted a thief who fled a local Co-op store carrying armfuls of stolen alcohol.
The incident happened in mid-September at around 7pm at the Co-op on the corner of Park Avenue and Bridgford Road in West Bridgford.
Adam Truelove, who lives nearby as shops there regularly, said he was shopping when he heard a member of staff shout “stop” as a man sprinted through the aisles carrying crates of expensive alcohol under each arm.
Adam told The Wire: “The staff member could only watch, clearly upset and frustrated, as the thief made for the door,” he said. “It struck me as ridiculous that shoplifters seem to get away with this kind of behaviour so often in our local community, so I decided to intervene.”
He followed the man into the car park, where the thief refused to hand over the stolen items and ran again. The resident gave chase, eventually catching up with him at the top of Stratford Road.
He said: “I persuaded him, firmly, to return the stolen alcohol,” he said. “I carried the goods back to the Co-op, where the staff were hugely grateful. To my surprise, they even gave me a large bunch of flowers to pass on to my wife as a thank-you gesture.”
“It’s happening far too often, and it’s frustrating for local staff who have to deal with it,” he added.
Ivan Hall, supervisor at the Co-op said:
‘The Co-op would like to thank Adam for apprehending a shoplifter in the West Bridgford shop.
‘While the staff are very grateful he managed to stop the person, be mindful that they could be very dangerous and we do not wish for customers to get hurt.’
‘Regards from all staff at the Bridgford Road store.’