To catch a thief ... or not.

Crouch End high street, yesterday afternoon. I walk into Tesco and see two security guards wrestling with a guy who has been caught stealing. He escapes onto the street and they wonder aloud whether they should call the police but seem in no hurry to do so. I follow the same man into Boots, where he proceeds to steal again. I let a member of staff know, he spies on the thief then pounces on him outside the store, managing to retrieve the stolen goods. But the thief walks free. I say to the Boots guy shouldn't we call the police? He says no, they will want video evidence and won't want to do anything. He seems to speak from bitter experience. I watch the thief walk around a bit longer, in no particular hurry, and then get on a bus.

Welcome to modern Britain where customers and concerned citizens get treated like criminals but thieves receive amazing customer service.