Bungling thieves hailed taxi carrying a police officer
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Bungling thieves hailed taxi carrying a police officer
by Aftab Sat 17 May 2008 - 21:36
Bungling thieves hailed taxi carrying a police officer and a pair of Miss Marples
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/05/17/bungling-thieves-hailed-taxi-carrying-a-police-officer-and-a-pair-of-miss-marples-91466-20923970/
May 17 2008 by David James, Western Mail
IT WASN’T quite the sight two fleeing thieves wanted to see.
On the run, swag bags in hand, they must have thought the approaching taxi was like a ticket to a scot-free escape.
But after hailing the cab, the bungling pair were stunned to find it was already carrying a fare – a police support officer and two latter-day Miss Marples.
Unknown to the shoplifters, they had been followed almost from the moment they left a discount Cardiff clothing store with nearly £500 in stolen clothes.
The clueless twosome were stalked by a taxi driver and a district nurse who witnessed the theft and picked up a police community support officer who had heard about the crime on his radio.
The district nurse, who lives near the incident in Llanrumney, Cardiff, and did not want to be named, said she and the woman taxi driver “were like a pair of Miss Marples”.
She said: “We followed them, so we knew exactly where they’d gone and watched them as they threw the clothes over a wall of a pub.
“We were driving around and we found the police officer. He got in the back so we went back the way we had come, and as we found the thieves again, they flagged the taxi down.
“You couldn’t make it up. They both legged it but the police officer caught one of them and he had this black bag full of jeans, shirts, blouses, cardigans and dresses.”
The police community support officer, Norton Botterfield, said the snared shoplifters “just looked at each other in disbelief” as he leapt out of the taxi in full uniform.
“You could say they were a bit surprised,” said the 28-year-old, who is hoping to become a full police officer.
“I told them not to run but they still tried to sprint off and I caught one of them.”
He had heard about the theft from discount clothing chain Peacocks in Countisbury Avenue, Llanrumney, Cardiff, on his radio as soon as it was reported and was making his way towards the scene.
He said: “The control room came on the radio and said there had been a shoplifting offence and that the people responsible were still in the area.
“I was making my way over to the shop and there was a taxi pulled up with two women in who had witnessed the theft.
“They pointed out where the suspects had gone. I said ‘Thank you very much’ and was about to head off when the taxi driver said ‘Why don’t you jump in?’
“So we drove after them. We went round the corner and the witnesses pointed them out walking down the street.
“They looked around when they heard the car and then hailed for the taxi to stop.
“When I jumped out you could say they were a bit surprised. They just looked at each other in disbelief.”
After a short chase, PCSO Botterfield caught up with one, a 24-year-old man from Llanrumney who has now been charged with shoplifting. Officers recovered all the stolen clothes and are using CCTV from the incident at around 2pm on April 29 to identify the second suspect who ran off.
Sergeant Dan Howe of Rumney Police Station, Cardiff, said officers had a good idea who the second culprit was.
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/05/17/bungling-thieves-hailed-taxi-carrying-a-police-officer-and-a-pair-of-miss-marples-91466-20923970/
May 17 2008 by David James, Western Mail
IT WASN’T quite the sight two fleeing thieves wanted to see.
On the run, swag bags in hand, they must have thought the approaching taxi was like a ticket to a scot-free escape.
But after hailing the cab, the bungling pair were stunned to find it was already carrying a fare – a police support officer and two latter-day Miss Marples.
Unknown to the shoplifters, they had been followed almost from the moment they left a discount Cardiff clothing store with nearly £500 in stolen clothes.
The clueless twosome were stalked by a taxi driver and a district nurse who witnessed the theft and picked up a police community support officer who had heard about the crime on his radio.
The district nurse, who lives near the incident in Llanrumney, Cardiff, and did not want to be named, said she and the woman taxi driver “were like a pair of Miss Marples”.
She said: “We followed them, so we knew exactly where they’d gone and watched them as they threw the clothes over a wall of a pub.
“We were driving around and we found the police officer. He got in the back so we went back the way we had come, and as we found the thieves again, they flagged the taxi down.
“You couldn’t make it up. They both legged it but the police officer caught one of them and he had this black bag full of jeans, shirts, blouses, cardigans and dresses.”
The police community support officer, Norton Botterfield, said the snared shoplifters “just looked at each other in disbelief” as he leapt out of the taxi in full uniform.
“You could say they were a bit surprised,” said the 28-year-old, who is hoping to become a full police officer.
“I told them not to run but they still tried to sprint off and I caught one of them.”
He had heard about the theft from discount clothing chain Peacocks in Countisbury Avenue, Llanrumney, Cardiff, on his radio as soon as it was reported and was making his way towards the scene.
He said: “The control room came on the radio and said there had been a shoplifting offence and that the people responsible were still in the area.
“I was making my way over to the shop and there was a taxi pulled up with two women in who had witnessed the theft.
“They pointed out where the suspects had gone. I said ‘Thank you very much’ and was about to head off when the taxi driver said ‘Why don’t you jump in?’
“So we drove after them. We went round the corner and the witnesses pointed them out walking down the street.
“They looked around when they heard the car and then hailed for the taxi to stop.
“When I jumped out you could say they were a bit surprised. They just looked at each other in disbelief.”
After a short chase, PCSO Botterfield caught up with one, a 24-year-old man from Llanrumney who has now been charged with shoplifting. Officers recovered all the stolen clothes and are using CCTV from the incident at around 2pm on April 29 to identify the second suspect who ran off.
Sergeant Dan Howe of Rumney Police Station, Cardiff, said officers had a good idea who the second culprit was.
Aftab- Admin
- Number of posts : 650
Registration date : 2007-03-09
Re: Bungling thieves hailed taxi carrying a police officer
by Admin Sun 18 May 2008 - 3:07
Wonderful community spirit, and what a surprise for the hapless two? 
Taxi drivers are the eyes and ears of the community only if more worked together to better the whole community they live in.
Taxi drivers are the eyes and ears of the community only if more worked together to better the whole community they live in.
Admin- Admin
- Number of posts : 496
Localisation : Sheffield
Registration date : 2007-03-08 -
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