Dramatic CCTV footage shows the moment a bag thief is chased down and arrested by plain-clothed officers.
Emad Lechhed, 26, pinched the item from outside a pub where he had been loitering on Martin Lane, near Cannon Street.
Police saw him steal the bag and immediately sprang into action, running after him but he dropped it during the pursuit at around 9.30pm on June 12.
Lechhed was caught and arrested on London Bridge - five minutes later.
Inspector Dan Green, of the City of London Police’s proactive acquisitive crime team, said: “The stolen bag, and the contents, was soon returned to the owner, before they knew it was stolen.
“The victim was full of praise for our officers when he got his bag back so quickly and we made an arrest.
“This is another fantastic result from our plain-clothed officers.
“Our warning to criminals; don’t come into the City to steal bags. If you do, you risk being spotted by our plain-clothed officers, who will track you down, arrest you and bring you to justice.”
Lechhed, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to four months in jail for theft.
He has been handed a criminal behaviour order banning him from entering the Square Mile for two years.
