A mobile phone worth £850 was stolen from TechZone, a phone and electronics shop at Westgate Shopping Centre, last Saturday afternoon. The theft was caught on security cameras, and the suspect was stopped before he left the building.
It was a typical busy Saturday at Westgate. Families were shopping for clothes, children were playing in the soft play area near the entrance, and music was playing through the speakers in every corridor. TechZone was particularly busy.
At around 2:30pm, shop assistant Carlos Vega was helping a customer with a laptop at the back of the store. While he was explaining the laptop's features, a young man in a grey jacket walked in and approached the display stand near the door. The stand held six phones for customers to try.
A nearby customer, Mrs Ji-Young Park, was looking at headphones on a shelf opposite the stand. She noticed the young man immediately. "He was behaving strangely," she said. "He kept looking around nervously while he was standing at the stand. Then he picked up one of the phones and put it in his jacket pocket." Mrs Park told a passing member of staff.
Meanwhile, Carlos noticed the phone was missing and called security. In the security control room, officers were monitoring all the cameras when one of them spotted the young man near the south exit. They moved quickly. They stopped him while he was trying to leave the mall.
The phone was found in his jacket pocket. The suspect, a 19-year-old student from the local area, admitted taking the phone. He said he was having financial problems. Security called the police.
The student received a formal warning and was asked to leave the shopping centre. No charges were pressed. TechZone's manager said the store would review its security procedures. "We are glad no one was hurt," he added.