WILD: A Jarrow shopper physically stepped into an alleged B&M theft confrontation In 2024, a customer at B&M in Jarrow, South Tyneside, physically intervened as another person was being confronted over alleged shoplifting. What began as an ordinary trip to the shops suddenly had a member of the public putting themselves directly into a situation that could have gone badly wrong. That is the part that sticks with me. Shop theft is maddening. Staff should not have to watch people apparently walk out with stock, and customers understandably get furious when they think someone is simply taking what they want. But there is a huge difference between being angry about suspected theft and deciding you are now the person who should physically stop somebody. The law does give ordinary people some powers. In England and Wales, a person other than a police officer can make what is commonly called a citizen’s arrest in certain circumstances. They can also use reasonable force to prevent crime or assist a lawful arrest. That does not mean there is a blanket licence to grab anyone somebody believes has stolen something. A citizen’s arrest under section 24A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act has conditions attached. Broadly, the arrest has to concern an indictable offence and be necessary for reasons such as preventing injury, preventing loss or damage to property, or stopping the person escaping before police can take responsibility. Any force used still has to be reasonable and proportionate. Even professional security staff do not suddenly acquire police powers. The Security Industry Authority says their relevant powers do not extend beyond those available to another citizen. That makes confrontations like this far more complicated than the internet’s favourite “good bloke stops shoplifter” narrative. A customer may genuinely believe they are helping. They may also have only seconds of information, no idea what the other person is carrying, no training in restraint and no certainty about how violently the confrontation could escalate. One suspected theft can turn into an injury, an assault allegation or a completely unnecessary fight in seconds. Stopping theft matters. So does knowing where intervention stops being sensible. The most extraordinary part of this Jarrow incident is how quickly somebody who apparently arrived as an ordinary shopper ended up physically involved in somebody else’s alleged crime.