05 May BID CCTV operator targets shoplifters
It’s not easy being a shoplifter in Hammersmith with the BID’s CCTV operator at work.
Over the past month the eagle-eyed operator has been hard at work clamping down on thieves trying to steal from the shops in the town centre.
In one incident, the security team at a large King Street retailer flagged up to the operator that one female shopper had left the store without appearing to purchase anything. The operator watched her walk towards Hammersmith Bridge and notified security and the BID’s Safer Neighbourhood officers who swooped in and searched the woman. She was found to have stolen items and was in possession of drugs. She was arrested. The operator was also responsible for catching another crook stealing from this store after the security team flagged up suspicious behaviour to the operator who tracked him and gave his position to police.
In another incident, the operator was advised that a man and a woman were acting suspiciously in a shop on King Street. Police were quick to respond and stopped them but when searched they did not have anything on them. The operator advised the SNT to look in a nearby restaurant, that the couple had ducked into prior to their arrest. A stolen item was subsequently found and the couple were arrested for theft.