UK's first 'private police force' taking to the streets to tackle shoplifters
A man wearing bulky clothes darts out of Marks & Spencer, triggering the security alarm. He hurries down the street, glancing over his shoulder. Hot on his heels are Shaun Kerrigan and colleague Ant, wearing casual clothes to blend in with shoppers. They close in on the man from either side.
“We’re arresting you on suspicion of shoplifting,” Shaun tells him, brandishing handcuffs. They march the suspect back to M&S where, astonishingly, he unzips his coat to reveal FOUR jackets totalling £275 layered beneath his clothes, tags still on.
“This is straightforward shoplifting with no additional offences,” Shaun tells us, once he’s taken the 42-year-old suspect’s details. “The value of the items is over £200 so [M&S] might want us to prosecute and they’ll likely give him a lifetime ban from their stores.”
Shaun might seem like a police officer but he works for private company TM Eye, whose teams patrol town centres, arrest suspects and prosecute prolific offenders. The outfit’s 130 uniformed and plain-clothes officers are making streets safer amid a shoplifting epidemic that has left businesses struggling and retailers terrified, because there are not enough police resources dedicated to fighting shoplifting.
While the government has recruited 20,000 police officers since 2019, critics argue that a similar number were cut by Tory-led administrations since 2010. Founded by ex-Scotland Yard detective David McKelvey, TM Eye, which also deals with pickpocketing and muggings, has been dubbed the UK’s first private police force. Funded by councils and Business Improvement Districts, its Prolific Crimes Team has brought some 300 prosecutions in four years with a 100% conviction rate.
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Mirror reporter Amy on patrol (Humphrey Nemar /sunday mirror)We joined a TM Eye patrol after economic think-tank Onward last month urged ministers to recruit 19,000 more police officers to restore community policing.
It found despite recruiting 20,000 additional cops, the number dedicated to neighbourhood policing is 10% lower than in 2012. Police community support officer num-bers have also nearly halved, it said.
The worrying shortage of neighbourhood bobbies comes after a record year for shoplifting, with 402,500 incidents logged in the 12 months to September.
An arrest after a champagne theft at Waitrose (Humphrey Nemar /sunday mirror)Senior investigator Shaun says: “Shoplifting is one of the most under-reported crimes. Businesses feel there is no point reporting it – they think the police won’t come. Our teams are bringing back street policing and becoming a familiar face for retailers and residents.
“At first, the powers that be were concerned that a private company was walking around carrying handcuffs, actively detaining shoplifters. They said, ‘This is the job of the police’, and we said, ‘It is, but it’s not being done, so we shall step in’.”
Shaun, who has a background in security, stresses: “We’re not vigilantes. We are not trying to replace the police – we have a great relationship with them and the CPS. Police want to arrest shoplifters but their system means taking someone into custody might take two officers off the street for the day, and then they’re there for hours interviewing the suspect, gathering statements and exhibits. We do the exact same thing.”
TM Eye boss David McKelvey (TM Eye)We shadowed Shaun and Ant in South-West London, where TM Eye is so well-regarded its staff are often the first people retailers call to report shoplifting. “Businesses feel any time they’ve reported it to police there’s no outcome or they might not attend,” Shaun explains.
In Richmond, officers are making up to five arrests a day, Shaun says – and within an hour we watch them detain the M&S suspect. Ninety minutes later, we are patrolling Waitrose when a man runs out with two bottles of Lanson Champagne, worth £80. Shaun and Ant give chase and apprehend him. The suspect, 38, gives the TM Eye officers his details and tells them he was planning to sell the booze to pay for medicine. The manager gives him a lifetime ban from Waitrose but he faces no further action.
The team nab a suspect (Humphrey Nemar /sunday mirror)“There was no aggravation and he’s never been stopped before,” Shaun says. “We know who he is now and he has the ban, so if he nicks from here again we can look to prosecute.”
We also spend time in nearby Putney, which has had a surge in thieves targeting independent stores and charity shops. “We’re also seeing a huge rise in assaults on retail staff everywhere,” Shaun says. “One was battered with an iron bar.”
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The British Retail Consortium has called for abuse towards shopworkers to be made a specific offence, saying incidents have risen to 1,300 a day. Putney pharmacist Sharm Vara says organised groups of thugs shoplift masses of vitamins and cosmetics “to order” and threaten employees.
He says: “We’ve had some saying, ‘I’m going to wait outside the shop and when you’ve finished I’m going to stab you.’ You’ve got really big guys saying, ‘What you gonna do about it?’ It used to be chancers but it’s now much more organised.”
Pharmacist Sharm Vara (Humphrey Nemar /sunday mirror)Sharm said TM Eye is helpful, adding: “Before, it felt as though you’re fighting a battle alone, now it feels like we’re in the struggle together.”
Gift shop worker Ashish Sharma says a group of masked teenagers stole vapes just last week. Pargh Pagel tells us how his corner shop is regularly targeted by young shoplifters grabbing booze from the shelves. Nicola Grant, executive director of BIDs in Putney, hired TM Eye in October after firms reported that, for the first time, crime was their biggest concern. “The police are stretched and that might be part of the problem,” she says. “The service has proven businesses want human interaction.”
Currently operating in London, Essex and Surrey, TM Eye – whose employees are largely ex-police and security workers – is set to expand across the UK due to demand.
Patrolling 32 beats, TM Eye officers use laws which let anyone make an arrest if a crime is happening or has happened, and use reasonable force to subdue the perpetrator. They do not carry batons, tasers or pepper spray but do wear stab vests. One team was recently called out when a man was spotted with a machete. Shaun says. “Our approach usually tends to calm a situation down.”
On the beat in London (Humphrey Nemar /sunday mirror)Once officers make an arrest, they take a statement and details, and file the information with the police in case the relevant force wants to act.
If it does not, TM Eye consults independent lawyers who decide whether the case meets the threshold to bring a private prosecution.
An application is made to the CPS and the suspect receives a summons, and will usually be in court within a month, Shaun says. His biggest feats at TM Eye include tackling gangs on Oxford Street who nicked £14,000 of iPhones and £16,000 of cosmetics.
“The best thing is we see the process from start to finish,” he adds.
Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “After years of Conservative ineffective resourcing of front-line policing, communities across the country feel unsafe on the streets. This cannot continue. A visible police presence is absolutely key to rebuilding confidence.”
The Home Office said: “We have launched action plans to tackle anti-social behaviour and retail crime.”
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