Solihull Police catch tinned fish thief

A Kitts Green man who stole a feast of salmon, tuna and corned beef from a local supermarket has been sent to prison for three months.

Terry Field, described by officers as a prolific shoplifter, was arrested as part of an investigation into the theft of £250 worth of tinned items from a Chelmsley Wood shop.

Officers from the Kingshurst and Fordbridge neighbourhood policing team recognised the 32-year-old after viewing the shop’s CCTV footage which showed him stealing items from the shelves on three separate occasions.

After being arrested Field was shown the damning footage and admitted his guilt to three charges of theft. He appeared at Birmingham Magistrates Court on Monday 12th May where he was sentenced to three months behind bars.

PC Yonas Habtu said: “We suspect that Field was looking to sell these items on at a fraction of their price to fund his heroin habit. By arresting him we have not only been able to prevent further crime but also given him the opportunity to seek support for his addiction whilst in prison.

“There are some people who see theft of this type as a ‘victimless crime’. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. The loss of hundreds of pounds of stock was understandably causing great concern to the store manager, as it would do with any kind of businesses throughout our community.

“We’d therefore ask anyone who has any information about those involved in the sale or handling of stolen goods to report all information to the police. If you’re offered items at a discounted price then please be mindful that you could be funding criminal activity.”

West Midlands Police has a force wide operation – codenamed operation Simul – to safeguard businesses and target crooks.

Read the full story here: http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/your-local-police/solihull/local-news/localnews.aspx?id=871