Police were quick to respond after they were hit with criticism for arresting a man suspected of stealing from B&M.
St Helens Police took to Facebook after arresting a man on suspicion of stealing a number of items from B&M on Church Street, over the space of two days. On Wednesday, July 6, the team posted a picture of three XL bags of Ruby Jasmine washing machine pods and a bottle of Surf fabric softener, which the thief was "caught" stealing from the store.
Alongside the picture, officers posted a poem, which read: "There was a young man from Parr, He went for ride in a police car. He paid the ultimate price, so that his clothes could smell nice, it’s a shame he didn’t get very far."
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But a number of people hit back in the comments section asking officers to "find out why this person felt like they had to steal laundry detergent rather than making a public joke out of the fact he did".
Officers were quick to respond, saying it was their job to "protect and serve" the community and they had "a duty" to protect businesses from the loss incurred by repeated acts of theft.
In a comment, St Helens Police said: "We have a duty to protect businesses from the loss incurred by repeated acts of theft. We have a duty to serve the community in which we police, the local people who own and work in such businesses.
"So yeah, protect and serve is what we do. And don't worry, he will have plenty of opportunity to explain why he stole the items two days in a row. I wonder why he may have stolen eight items yesterday and another four today.
"I would hazard a guess that's it's not because he had a mountain of washing to do. Let's be realistic here, this isn't a father stealing a loaf to feed his children.
"This is someone stealing relatively high value items to sell, in order to fund other elements of his lifestyle. So whilst we appreciate the cost of living is on the rise, and genuine people are struggling, we won't sit back and allow people to pillage the shops in our town."
A number of commenters responded saying "well said".
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