Catch A Thief: Sam McAlister tracked down the thief who snatched her bag
A mother who had her bag snatched was told by police it was not a crime – because she chased after the thief and won her property back.
Sam McAlister was queueing in a coffee shop with her ten-month-old son when a woman grabbed the bag from the back of the pushchair as an accomplice distracted her.
Miss McAlister, 34, left her child with staff at the Starbucks cafe, whom she knew well, and set off in pursuit of the woman.
She confronted the thief in a nearby shop and was eventually reunited with her bag after a struggle.
But when she went to a police station to report the crime, she was told by an officer behind the desk that it was not a crime because she had got the bag back.
It was only when the former criminal barrister used her knowledge of the law that the case was passed on to a senior officer who decided to investigate.
Miss McAlister, now a radio producer, said: "The woman was dressed in a way that made her very easy to spot.
"I spotted her about four shops away with a backpack, and I thought 'I'm not having this'.
"She was about 6ft tall, but I thought it was worth a try, so I ran over to her.
"I grabbed her backpack and shouted at her 'You've got my bag'. We were struggling and grappling, I was yelling 'Give me my bag' for dear life."
Eventually, the woman threw Miss McAlister's handbag at her as members of the public became involved.
Miss McAlister added: "I picked up the bag and as soon as I learnt someone had caught her I went back to my son."
A police community-support officer went to the scene at the Hammersmith shopping centre in West London on Thursday afternoon and took Miss McAlister to the local police station.
She said: "The female police officer behind the desk asked me the barest of details and she said that if
I have got the bag back then obviously that's not a crime. I was dumbfounded."
Miss McAlister, who lives nearby, explained that it was indeed a crime and left her details, demanding to speak to a superior officer.
"The woman called me an hour later to say it was a crime but it was an attempted theft," she said. "I knew that wasn't right either. It was theft at the very least."
Miss McAlister eventually received a call from a senior officer who, she said, took her 'very seriously'.
But the incident has left her angry and concerned. "It is only because I know the law that I had the confidence to argue," she said.
"Otherwise handbag thieves would all be coming to Hammersmith because handbag theft is obviously not a crime here."
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the woman officer had initially denied a crime had been committed, but later reflected on the incident and "completed a crime report within an hour of the offence taking place".
He added: "Words of advice will be given to the member of staff involved."
The spokesman said the suspect had managed to get away.
Basic law and citizens rights need to go into the national curriculum and adult education classes to combat the serious ignorance, lazyiness and lies of our once trust worthy police.
Omg, it was robbery and of her rights too, wankers
Does not surpise me.. even when handed a crime the man and the evidence they will not act unless it makes them MONEY!
I had my car ( a quite new at the time convertible astra) was stolen in 2007 and through some phone call to the council found that it has been removed by a local garage owner under the pretence that he knew the (male ) owner.. ( I’m female). The thief also had contacted the police to see if my car had been reported stolen, which is hadn’t been , it was parked on private land and not even on the pubic highway. But he had managed to get it ticketed as abandoned by the council, and that ticket was placed on my car out of view, as I could see my car from where I lived. The police told him that it had not been reported stolen and to leave it alone. He didn’t, he got one of his recovery vechile to remove it. (It had a dead battery and wasn’t driven away and I was using my boyfrend BMW!) He had actually left his contact details with the council which gave them to “claim” the vehice. Which was lucky otherwise it would have been really hard to find.
So I told the police that I had located my stolen car and what where they going to do about it. NOTHING thats what!
My boyfriend at the time worked in vehicle recovery and after a day of trying to get the police to at least go and recover my car, which they couldnt make their minds up as it had been stolen in one county and recovered in another, to which police force was going to deal with it.
Eventually, I called the police and told them that we were going to recover MY car and he had parked another car directly in front of it and the police told me that they couldn’t remove it if it was blocked in.
Simple.. I to told them , drag it out the way. They said no, we don’t have a vehicle that could move it, so I told them that we were going to recover MY car and we will move the other vehicle in the process and that if they wanted my car foresncially it will be at our garage.
The polce then told me that it was not thieft but “taking without consentt” !
Like I was a parent who’s teenager had “borrowed” my car without asking…
I did not know the man who stole my car but i did go in and confront him after we recovered it. And admitted to me that he shouldn’t have taken it. ( I corrected him and said STOLEN. Note he didn’t report it as stolen as he knew he was in the wrong.
My personal belongings were in the car along with my cars manuals which had my boyfriend garage details in as he looked after it. I also have a business just up the road from the thief.
The police them told me that “they had no proof of the thieft” and “not enough evidence”! even though the man admitted to the police that he stolen it.
He intended to apply for a newlog book ( costs about £15) and then he was going to sell it quite legally!
The law is an arse in this country and the poilce are not here to serve and protect but to serve themselves and make money for their companies, which are all registered as limited companies at company house.. NOTHING MORE!
after having a friend share j.harris’s talk with me and the link to this website my eyes have been well and truly opened this country indeed world is one big money making machine and it’s not for the common people ..it’s a corrupt horrible machine and i will now try to spread the word and open as many peoples eyes to whats going on