Thief who stole purse from elderly lady in charity shop apprehended by public at Fareham bus station

A PURSE thief who targeted an elderly lady in a charity shop has been apprehended after members of the public caught and held him at a bus station.
By Kimberley Barber
Published 31st Jul 2021, 16:23 BST
A general view of Fareham bus station, where the thief was detained.A general view of Fareham bus station, where the thief was detained.
A general view of Fareham bus station, where the thief was detained.

The incident happened in Fareham town centre on Friday and saw the victim follow the thief and demand he return the stolen item before good-willed members of the public got involved and stepped in to help.

Fareham Police said in a Facebook post: ‘A man has been arrested in Fareham town centre following a report a purse had been stolen from an elderly woman.

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‘The victim was shopping in a charity shop at around 12.30pm today (Friday) when a male took a purse from her trolley.

‘Other shoppers informed the victim of what had happened. The victim went after the suspect and caught him on West Street, opposite The Lord Arthur Lee.

‘There was a small altercation where members of the public demanded that the suspect returned the stolen items.

‘The suspect made off again and was detained by more members of the public, close to Fareham Bus Station.

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‘Officers arrived shortly after; the suspect was arrested and taken to custody, where he remains in at this time.’

The police said they are looking to speak to anyone who saw the incident.

They added: ‘We are looking to speak to anyone who was in the shop at the time, who saw the theft take place and anyone who was involved in the altercation opposite The Lord Arthur Lee’

Call police on 101 or go to hampshire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us/ quoting reference 44210302268.

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The spokesperson, from Fareham East Neighbourhood Policing Team + Fareham & Gosport High Harm Team, added: ‘A huge thank you to everyone involved, it's great to see the community come together supporting each other in their time of need. Stay safe.’

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