An off-duty police officer leapt into action after spotting a shoplifter stealing from a store while he was out DIY shopping in Arnold.
The officer was perusing the paint aisle at Homebase in Mansfield Road at around 3.30pm on Tuesday (June 28) when he heard a disturbance at the tills.
After speaking with staff, he detained and searched a suspect accused of stealing goods.
Wayne Lee, aged 52, has been charged with two counts of theft – the second of which relates to an unrelated incident at a supermarket in Hucknall on June 5.
Lee, of Chatsworth Drive, Hucknall, appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court today on Wednesday and was bailed to appear again on August 2.
Sergeant Rob Palethorpe, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Shoplifting offences can have a significant impact on local businesses and are taken very seriously by Nottinghamshire Police.
“As was demonstrated by person involved in this case, police officers may be off-duty but they are always ready to spring into action if and when they need to.”
