‘I tackled a shoplifter just as the government told us to – but then the police made ME a criminal’: Retired police officer fined £130 for helping police catch Sainsbury’s shoplifter… while the thief gets away scot-free!

A retired police officer yesterday described the criminal justice system as ‘broken’ after he was fined for chasing a shoplifter in his car – while the perpetrator escaped prosecution entirely.

Norman Brennan, 64, confronted the thief in the street and when he turned and fled, he followed him for almost two miles before helping police arrest him. He then retraced the man’s steps and found nine expensive bottles of wine hidden behind an apartment building in a backpack.

But instead of being praised for his public bravery, Mr Brennan was surprised to be fined £130 by his council for briefly driving the wrong way down a one-way street during the chase.

This is despite Police Minister Chris Philp previously urging the public to help curb shoplifting by arresting citizens if they see it happening.

The shoplifter, meanwhile, received no fine or warning. The manager of Sainsbury’s Local on Twickenham Green, south-west London, decided not to press charges.

In a letter rejecting his appeal against the fine, the London borough of Richmond Upon Thames told Mr Brennan that “while I appreciate that you were following a suspected shoplifter, you had no legal authority to enter this road.”

Mr Brennan, a retired police officer, chased a shoplifter as he left this Sainsbury’s Local in Twickenham, London. Sainsbury’s has not laid any charges against the thief

Norman Brennan, right, in New York in 2002, on the anniversary of September 11. He was part of a British contingent attending the one-year anniversary of the attacks

Mr Brennan told the MoS he was speaking hands-free to a 999 operator at the time and was driving at less than 5mph. He added that the “farcical episode” makes a mockery of Police Minister Chris Philp’s call for the public to help combat the shoplifting epidemic by arresting citizens when they see thieves stealing goods.

“What a complete waste of my time and an absolute farce,” he said. ‘The only one being punished here is me. This was a rare situation where everything was handed over to the police and Sainsbury’s on a plate – all the evidence and the perpetrator himself – but it still resulted in the man walking free.

‘Large supermarkets must take the approach to shoplifting seriously by declaring that they will take action. The police are in the middle of it and don’t really worry about it, because they know that in the rare cases that cases go to trial, the offenders are released with conditional discharge, a small fine or community service.

“The government has promised a crackdown on this crime, which the police have failed to deliver. It’s all a big mess. The criminal justice system is broken and not fit for purpose.”

Mr Brennan, a former British Transport Police detective, has been honored numerous times for bravery. Since his retirement in 2009, he has been described as ‘one of the best-known voices in British policing’. He set up the Victims Of Crime Trust, whose members include Denise Fergus, the mother of murdered toddler James Bulger.

And he launched Protect the Protectors, which successfully campaigned for police to carry side-handled batons, stab-resistant vests and CS spray.

The Mail on Sunday has led the way in exposing Britain’s shoplifting scandal with a hard-hitting campaign calling for tougher action. We revealed how the crisis is costing stores £1 billion a year.

Recalling the incident, Mr Brennan said he was sitting in his car drinking coffee at lunch last October when he heard a scream and saw a man in his 30s sprint past with a backpack. “I know the staff at Sainsbury’s and I saw one of them chasing him,” he said. “I followed him in my car, drove in front of him, jumped out and confronted him, but he turned and ran away behind an apartment building.”

Unable to pursue him on foot due to arthritic knees, Mr Brennan waited for the thief to reappear and then discreetly followed him in his car to an industrial estate while speaking to a 999 operator who promised help.

If he hadn’t turned onto the one-way street, he said, he would have lost sight of the thief. ‘I am an advanced police driver and was extremely careful when driving – or rather crawling – along this road.

Mr Brennan said he was speaking hands-free to a 999 operator at the time and was traveling at less than 5mph

The former police officer said the “farcical episode” made a mockery of the government’s appeal to the public to help tackle the shoplifting epidemic.

Mr Brennan returned stolen wine bottles to Sainsbury’s where he found the manager being questioned by police

‘I was stunned by Richmond’s reaction: cold and emotionless and without any common sense. Surely they could have exercised discretion.”

When police arrived, Mr Brennan told them where he thought the man was hiding and the man was arrested. Mr Brennan said when he recovered the backpack, most of the wine bottles were broken. He took them back to the store, where he found the manager being questioned by police.

Since his retirement, Mr Brennan has arrested 29 shoplifters. Speaking about the latest incident, he said: ‘The message seems to be that in today’s Britain you can go into a supermarket and steal whatever you want, safe in the knowledge that even if you are caught by the police, you will not will be punished.

‘I have had to protest for hours against this stupid fine, which has now risen to £195.’

A police spokesperson said: ‘Officers responded to a report of shoplifting after a man stole several bottles of wine from a shop in Twickenham. He was arrested nearby. Officers spoke with store employees who declined to investigate the matter further.”

A spokesperson for the supermarket said: ‘The safety of our colleagues and customers is our top priority. We are in contact with the police regarding this incident.’