First Burglar Jailed Following Private Police Prosecution

A highly prolific burglar has become the first person to be jailed through a prosecution by a private police force, following the failure of the local constabulary to investigate. The thief, who had amassed 105 previous convictions, including 33 for burglary, was apprehended by two detectives from the private policing company after he broke into a Marks & Spencer store to steal £500 worth of sirloin and T-bone steak, along with 20 bottles of Prosecco.

 

Despite being caught on CCTV and the store manager calling the police, the Metropolitan Police chose not to investigate. The case was taken up by TM Eye, a private company founded by a former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector. TM Eye provides uniformed officers and plain-clothes security staff to assist retailers in combating shoplifting and thefts in shopping areas. With its own legal department, TM Eye had previously successfully prosecuted 280 shoplifters, but the M&S case in Streatham Hill marks its first prosecution against a burglar.

 

As a result, the burglar, David Hanson, 44, was sentenced to a year in jail for five offenses, including four burglaries on separate dates and one assault on the M&S store manager. Although TM Eye mounted the prosecution privately, its legal team was treated the same as any state prosecutor.

 

Hanson broke into M&S through a reinforced glass window and was apprehended by officers from My Local Bobby, a part of the TM Eye operation providing uniformed staff and detectives who patrol shopping areas for local retailers. Hanson's arrest and admission of guilt were captured on body-worn video submitted to the court.

 

David Mckelvey, the former chief inspector who founded TM Eye, emphasized the importance of investigating every burglary, stating, "Every burglary deserves an investigation because there is always an opportunity to solve the case if you take the time to do the basics."

 

Last October, police agreed to attend shoplifting incidents if there was violence against a store worker, if a suspected thief was detained, or if officers were needed to secure evidence. However, they deemed it "not realistic" to respond to every shoplifting incident. Police chiefs in England and Wales also pledged last June to attend all domestic burglaries, though commercial premises were excluded.

 

An investigation in March revealed that police failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half of England and Wales in the past three years. National charging rates for burglary fell from 6.7% in 2016 to under 3.9% in 2022.

 

TM Eye claims to have brought more than 500 successful prosecutions, working with international police forces, the FBI, and the Federal Drugs Administration over five years. They launched My Local Bobby two years ago, providing neighborhood policing to residents, local firms, and shops to combat thefts. Their uniformed officers, wearing magenta vests and caps, promise to respond within five minutes for a fee per customer.

 

The Metropolitan Police stated it was working to establish the events surrounding the store burglary and was collaborating with retailers to identify their concerns. They reiterated that while it was not realistic to respond to every shoplifting case, they would assess situations where crimes were being committed and dispatch officers accordingly.