Moment cops discover suspected shoplifter hiding in a wheelie bin – earlier than she falls getting out
Police had been hot on the heels of a woman who had been seen allegedly stealing from a nearby shop, but soon caught up with her after she gave her location away in a hilarious cock-up
The woman was arrested and detained by police after she hid in the bin(Image: Hertfordshire Police / SWNS)
This is the hilarious moment that a suspected shoplifter was arrested by coppers after being spotted in a wheelie bin. She had been hiding inside but soon gave her game away as she stumbled getting out.
Shoplifting is fast becoming one of the most prominent crimes in the UK, as people resort to crime in order to feed their families. But as the cost of living crisis worsens, so too are the stints that shoplifters are being sent to jail for.
But now, one unlucky lady has had the moment she was caught broadcast for the world to see as police forces across the UK crack down on shoplifting. However, it was a bizarre encounter between her and the officers chasing her.
In video footage released by Hertfordshire Police, officers could be seen chasing a man and a woman through a John Lewis shop in Welwyn Garden City. The pair had been suspected of stealing alcohol from the shop and had soon busted out of the shop, with the police soon being called to the scene.
Both the man and the woman were later seen getting into a car and speeding off, prompting a police chase around the city. The man was quickly arrested and detained, but the woman was still nowhere to be seen, according to coppers investigating the case.
After some frantic searches, the woman was found hiding in a brown wheelie bin in an area not far from where the theft took place. In the hilarious footage, one of the officers can be heard calmly asking the woman: “Right, are you going to get out of the bin?”
Realising that the jig was up for her, the woman reluctantly agrees to come out of the bin. Sporting a pink jacket and a pair of blue jeans, she attempts to get out of the bin, before the bin slips itself causing her to fall to the floor.
The woman, whose name has not been released by officers, was immediately cuffed and taken to the police station, along with her partner in crime. She was later confirmed to have been charged by Herts Police for a total of nine different shopping offences.
Speaking on the pursuit, a spokesperson for the police force said: “Playing hide and seek in a wheelie bin! She’s been charged with nine shoplifting offences.
“Her friend? He tried to drive off but we caught up with him and guess what? He didn’t have car insurance either,” the spokesperson added. “He’s now on bail and will be seeing us again soon.”
It comes following an exclusive investigation by the Daily Star that more and more shoplifters are being stopped and arrested by police right across the UK. They are also being put away for longer, with a total of 44,300 convictions based on figures ending last June.
The total number of convictions rose drastically based on previous figures, with only 35,300 shoplifting charges actually resulting in a conviction in June of 2018. According to the British Retail Consortium, the constant amount of theft taking place in shops and businesses alike is costing the industry some £2.2billion each and every year.
However, the figures also revealed that shoplifters who are sent to jail are in fact going away for longer. The average jail stint shoplifters are going away for is now around 2.4 months, up from 2.2 months in 2024.
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