A prolific thief has become the first burglar jailed in a prosecution by a private police force after the Met failed to investigate his break-in at a M&S in south London.
David Hanson, 44, who had 105 previous convictions including 33 burglaries, was arrested by two detectives from TM Eye, a private company founded by a former Scotland Yard detective chief inspector.
The firm took on the case after Hanson had broken into the supermarket in Streatham to steal £500 of sirloin and T-bone steak and 20 bottles of Prosecco.
TM Eye has already successfully prosecuted 280 shoplifters but the case is the first time it has successfully mounted a prosecution against a burglar.
Hanson was jailed for a year for four burglaries and one assault on an M&S employee.
He was arrested by two detectives from My Local Bobby, part of the TM Eye, which provides uniformed and plain-clothes detectives who patrol shopping areas for retailers.
The Met Police told the Telegraph it was working to establish what happened over the store burglary.
It said it was working with retailers to identify “what matters to them, including the safety of shop based workers and shoplifting.”
On shoplifting, it said it was not realistic for the force to respond to every case but “where a crime is being committed, a suspect is on the scene, and the situation has or is likely to become heated or violent, our call handlers will assess this and seek to dispatch officers where appropriate”.
