Intrepid Security’s CEO, Noel Verbruggen, and the former England Manager make a citizen’s arrest
Inspired by the Police Minister’s call for citizens to help enforce the law, Noel and Terry make up risk management’s “dream team”…
I can’t honestly remember where or when I met Terry Venables. I suppose it must have been when we were quite young.
I think Terry grew up not far from where I lived, so we had that in common. Funnily enough I have never been that interested in football. But of course everyone, even if they are not football fans, knows Terry from his days as the England Manager. He is very recognisable.
Somehow, we found ourselves parked up in Tesco’s car park in my old Austin Maestro. I’d bought that van when I first decided to start Intrepid all those years ago. I used to go charging around the country in the early days.
EAS was new back then and demand huge. Obviously, we travelled a lot. I spent hours and hours in that van travelling, or even sometimes sleeping in it if I wanted to get to a job early to be sure not to be late. Customer service has always been at the heart of what we do… Throughout Intrepid’s history, once we have a client we very, very rarely lose them. I’m proud of that…
Anyway, Terry and I are starving. We want some lunch. And somehow, I get the job of going into the supermarket to get it (plus some extra sandwiches for Vinnie Jones, the ex-Wimbledon FC player and hardman of football turned Hollywood celeb. Terry says he’s driving over to meet us!). So off I go to get some sandwiches and snacks.
On entering the store, I wander towards the lunch aisle. Realising I don’t actually know what either Terry – or Vinnie for that matter – like to eat, I decide to go for some ham and mustard, cheese and pickle, and chicken and bacon sandwiches. Add a couple of prepacked snack pies, some crisps and that’s it – lunch sorted. Then I think I should get some drinks… non-alcoholic beers, I think. So off I trot, towards wines and spirits.
Passing by the spirits shelves I see this young woman acting suspiciously - checking around all the time to see if she is being watched. She has long dark hair and is wearing a short denim jacket. Despite the jacket fitting quite snugly, she takes a full size bottle of Glenfiddich and puts it in her inside jacket pocket. Then she takes another and puts it in her other inside pocket! Then I watch her move on to the wine section, where she puts another full bottle of wine in each of her capacious inside pockets. Incredibly there is no perceptible bulge at all, leaving me wondering how it’s possible to conceal all that drink with nothing looking out of place!
Suddenly I feel the presence of someone looking over my shoulder. It’s Terry. “Blimey!” I say, “What are you doing here?”
“I just came in to tell you that Vinnie says he fancies a bit of quiche. What are you doing?”
“I’ve been watching that woman, over there. She’s nicking bottles of booze. I think we should stop her.”
Terry surprises me with his response. “Well mate, I happen to know that you can only make a citizen’s arrest for an indictable offence. And Section 176 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 makes theft from a shop, of goods worth £200 or less, a summary offence only.”
Taken aback by his erudite statement, I surprise myself with the reply. “That’s right, Tel. But remember that the legislation also makes provision to ensure that certain powers under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, which only apply to indictable offences, will continue to be available in cases of summary-only shop theft. And that includes the right for shop staff, or indeed us, to make a citizen’s arrest where the police are not present to do so and where it is reasonably thought that a theft is about to take place.”
“Game on!” says Terry, and together we walk briskly towards the shoplifter.
“Oi!” I shout. “We’ve been watching you. And you have just nicked four bottles of booze. Either put it back, or I am making a citizen’s arrest.”
As we approach, she turns on us. “What are you going to do about it – OLD MAN?”
How dare you speak to my friend like that,” I say. I pull out my Club Card holding it up as a means of identification – just like the cops do in the movies. “I have reason to believe that you are attempting to steal alcohol from this shop, and I am making a citizen’s arrest.”
She laughs mockingly and turns on her heels to walk away.
Then comes a rasping voice with the deepest of South London inflexions. “Oi! You! Stop where you are! Don’t you laugh at my mates, or I’ll have something to say about it.” It’s Vinnie…
“Vinnie!” I’m so relieved to see him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was just checking Venables remembered to tell you about the quiche…”
Suddenly I hear an alarm go off. It is familiar and persistent. Has the shop set off an alarm? Have the police arrived.? What’s happening?
And then I come to. The alarm is my phone, set to wake me from slumber .
You see like the Police Minister, Chris Philp, who in a public statement this week encouraged people to make citizen’s arrests where they see crime happening, I was dreaming too!
“Game on!” says Terry, and together we walk briskly towards the shoplifter.”