Thief snared by rogues’ gallery website
A THIEF was arrested at a student union in Leeds with 14 mobile phones in his possession after being recognised on a rogues’ gallery website set up by a local business group.
The man was spotted by the Leeds University security team acting strangely before being identified on the mobile version of the website showing known offenders who target local venues.
The Facebook-style network developed by Business Against Crime in Leeds (BACIL) allows shops and nightclubs to instantly share photos of shoplifters and thieves and is now being piloted as a mobile phone application.
After the thief’s identity was revealed during the incident and he was found to have previous convictions, the police were called and he was arrested. He was later charged with 12 counts of theft.