Off-duty cop stops shoplifter

19 April 2024

Having joined the Force in March 2022, the many aspects of training to become a police officer are still fresh in the mind of Nottinghamshire Police Federation member Luke Kerruish – including parts that could only be learnt about and never truly practised.

The 29-year-old officer says he can still remember being told about the responsibilities and expectations of an off-duty cop - about what to do should he ever encounter criminal activity while on a day off or on leave. And, it did not take long until he was required to put words in a classroom into a real-life situation.

“I knew if I saw anything during time off work, I had to use my discretion to assess the situation and at least act as a witness if I thought it to be too dangerous,” Luke said.

“A few weeks after I started, I actually came across a road traffic accident while off-duty and without even thinking, I got involved and did what I could. I suppose it gave me that experience early in my career and stood me in good stead for the future.”

On 12 February this year, Luke was called into action while off-duty for a second time, albeit in somewhat different circumstances. Enjoying a quiet day ahead of a night shift, he walked into OneBeyond in Nottingham’s Castle Retail Park and almost immediately noticed something untoward inside the store.

Nottinghamshire Police Federation member Luke Kerruish was off duty when he stopped a shoplifter.

“About 30 seconds after being in there, I spotted someone standing around the fragrance section. He looked shifty and nervous and seemed to keep checking if people were looking at him,” recalled Luke.

“I recognised the usual characteristics of a shoplifter, so I kept a close eye on him.”

Wanting to determine how concealed any attempt to shoplift would be, Luke suspected the man may have been planning to sweep as many items as possible into a bag in one quick movement.

“I never got the impression the man was going to discreetly put something into his pocket and then keep a low profile. It seemed like he was going to try and go about it through speed rather than stealth,” he added.

Luke was right, and before long, he was giving chase, after the shoplifter made a run for it.

“Things moved a lot faster from this point. I may have had time to think at first, but I think my natural instinct took over here,” Luke said.

“I eventually apprehended him out on the car park and was then able to bring him into the store’s holding room while waiting for back-up to attend.”

Having noticed from the outset of the incident that there were no in-store security staff present, Luke says he prepared to take action in the knowledge that he would be doing so without anyone else to assist him. Instead, he would have to take complete control of the situation while in plain clothes.

One of the immediate challenges of this, he explained, was to quickly command enough trust and understanding from the surrounding members of the public.

He said: “I had made it clear who I was inside OneBeyond but one woman in the car park didn’t have a clue I was a police officer. From her perspective, she just saw one man chasing after another and grabbing hold of him.”

Fortunately, the onlooker’s confusion was soon cleared up and a group of Luke’s on-shift colleagues arrived to escort the shoplifter away, who was later charged and remanded.

“Even that caused me a bit of grief. I had work mates saying, ‘look at you, causing trouble on your day off,” Luke laughed, ending: “You always have to be ready to make a positive impact on the community, whether on duty or not. Once you have the eyes for a crime, that sets you apart from the rest of the public.

“I guess you can never really switch off – it’s all part of being a committed officer.”

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