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A prolific burglar who broke into a M&S store to steal £500 of sirloin and T-bone steak as well as 20 bottles of prosecco, has become the first person to be jailed in a private prosecution.
David Hanson, 44, who had 105 previous convictions including 33 burglaries, was caught in the act and arrested by two detectives from a private policing company.
The store manager from M&S in Streatham Hill had called police immediately after catching Hanson stealing on CCTV but despite the footage, the Met Police decided not to investigate.
Instead, the case was taken on my TM Eye - a private investigator company which was founded by former Scotland Yard chief detective David McKelvey.
The firm, which uses plain clothed officers and those in uniform, has already helped prosecute 280 shoplifters. However, the south London case marks the first time a prosecution has been made against a burglar.
It led to Hanson being jailed for a year for a total of five offences. These included four burglaries and one assault on an M&S employee, The Telegraph reported.
Officers studied the footage of Hanson breaking through a glass window of M&S before making off with the pricey goods and quickly recognised him as well-known shoplifter in the area.
Mr McKelvey told the paper: 'He was wearing the same clothing as worn during the burglary.
'He was detained and immediately admitted the recent burglary and an earlier burglary at the same premises some days before which was also written off by police.
'The lesson is that every burglary deserves an investigation because there is always an opportunity to solve the case if you take the time to do the basics.'
Police bosses decided in October that officers would attend shoplifting incidents if violence was made against employees, a suspected burglar was detained or cops were needed to help gather evidence.
But many police forces said the plan was not realistic, explaining officers cannot attend every shoplifting incident.
Hanson's sentencing comes as shoplifting rose to the highest level on record in April.
A total of 430,104 offences were recorded by police in the year to December 2023, up by more than a third (37%) from 315,040 in the previous 12 months.
The figure is the highest since current records began in the year to March 2003, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Retail bosses accused ministers of allowing shoplifting to become effectively decriminalised, with many police forces failing to attend the majority of reports and failing to gather any evidence when they do.
Under 40 per cent of shoplifting reports were attended by the Met between April 2022 and April 2023, recent figures revealed.
The epidemic of shoplifting has seen shops resort to desperate measures to protect stock, with shoppers left stunned this week after spotting a £2 chocolate bar locked inside a security box in a Co-op supermarket in Codsall, Staffordshire.
Meanwhile, one Tesco branch in Theydon Bois, Essex, has even begun putting security tags on shopping baskets due to a rise in the number of people helping themselves to 'five-finger discounts'.
Another Tesco in Bristol has started checking customers on CCTV before letting them into the store in a 'nightclub-style door policy'.
The branch in Southville has also moved their shopping baskets away from the doors to stop thieves piling them up with shopping and running out.
MailOnline has contacted the Met for comment.