Latest news with #DavidMcKelvey
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
I hunt phone thieves professionally – I was still targeted on Oxford Street
A former Scotland Yard detective has revealed he fought off a masked mobile phone thief on an e-bike in 'lawless' Britain. David McKelvey, a former detective chief inspector who led a Metropolitan Police squad fighting organised crime gangs, said the robber was openly riding around central London at the busiest time of the day like a 'modern day highwayman'. Dressed all in black, including a black balaclava and riding an e-bike, he had successfully targeted another victim near Oxford Street before trying to steal Mr McKelvey's phone. 'Fortunately I had a good grip on the phone, being aware of the risks,' said the former detective, who now runs a private security firm providing trained officers to protect stores and residents from shoplifters and snatch robbers such as his masked assailant. 'I didn't see him come up behind me on the electric bike, I was on the pavement. He grabbed the phone but didn't get it out of my grip. He then accelerated into the road and away. 'Broad daylight. Busy street. Central London. Areas of London have become lawless. Criminals operate openly, even in the middle of the day. 'These modern day highwaymen spend all day riding around looking for anyone on their phone or holding them in their hands.' He said after 30 years in policing and security he knew to keep a grip on his phone, but that 'it can happen to anyone'. 'I called him some profanities as he escaped, far worse than 'scumbag'. Let's hope I do not get reported for a 'hurty words' offence,' he said. Investigators from Mr McKelvey's company, My Local Bobby, are currently hunting down two e-bike robbers armed with zombie knives who have been terrorising an area in west London. Once identified, his firm will bring a private prosecution. Some 78,000 people had phones or bags snatched from them on the street in the year ending March 2024, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales. That is equivalent to 200 'snatch thefts' a day and is a 153 per cent increase on the number of incidents in the year ending March 2023. London is seen as the 'epicentre' of phone thefts with £50 million worth of handsets reported stolen in the capital in 2024. In a blitz on the 'scourge of mobile phone theft' in February, Met officers arrested 230 people in just a week and recovered 1,000 handsets by targeting hotspots such as Westminster and the West End. In his private investigation, Mr McKelvey described how one of his officers confronted armed robbers who had targeted the area previously by 'smashing car windows with hammers to steal from local residents'. 'Despite being outnumbered and threatened with knives, he showed outstanding courage. He managed to pull one of the suspects off his bike, causing both to flee the scene,' he said. 'The abandoned electric bike, likely stolen, was recovered and will be key to identifying the offenders through forensic evidence.' He said police were told but didn't attend the scene, although the electric bike was later 'taken to the police station for examination'. 'This follows several previous incidents where suspects armed with weapons have attacked bobbies and damaged a marked patrol vehicle. Police had not attended the earlier incidents either,' he said. 'The matter is now being handled by experienced detectives from My Local Bobby, and once the offenders are identified, they will face justice through a private criminal prosecution. 'This is community policing that never backs down. We will hunt these criminals down and bring them to justice. Nobody threatens, or assaults our team and gets away with it.'
Daily Mirror
10-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Greggs set to increase prices for a second time this year
The move comes just five months after the bakery chain increased the price of sausage rolls by 5p, to £1.30. But for those who want to enjoy Greggs at a chaper price Greggs is set to open seven new discount outlet stores this year Greggs are upping the prices of some of the nation's most loved sweet treats in a move branded a 'theft tax'. The move comes just five months after the bakery chain increased the price of its most popular menu item by 5p, to £1.30. The increase in the cost of a sausage roll in January was the second time in six months that Greggs has upped the price after it rose from £1.25 from £1.20 last year. Greggs charged just 85p for its sausage roll in 2016 but since then, the price has gone up seven times. In January Greggs warned it's price hike was due to the planned rise in employer National Insurance contributions and the minimum wage, set to take effect in April. The bakery chain said 'employment costs will result in further overall cost inflation, although wage increases should provide support to consumers'. The latest set of hikes are set to kick in on Thursday and will see some items, thought to include cookies and doughnuts, go up 5p. Sources said the chain's sausage rolls will remain at £1.30 and other bakes will also be unaffected. According to The Sun these latest price hikes are down to an increase in thefts, with the outlet reporting that at one Greggs in London, thieves struck every hour. One Greggs staff member told The Sun: 'The amount of people who steal from the stores costs us thousands a week — so it wouldn't surprise me if part of the price rises is because of that. It's not the company's fault, it's just the way things are now. Plenty of other places have had to put up prices as well.' Former Met Police DCI David McKelvey, who prosecutes shop thieves on behalf of High Street stores, added: 'We're seeing people steal from Greggs every single day. They are being targeted because thieves are able to just walk in and walk out and nothing is done.' Mr McKelvey, founder of security firm TM Eye, added: 'It goes back to this issue of there being no enforcement. The criminals think they can do whatever they like.' Greggs have confirmed prices are going up but they haven't linked it to thefts. A spokesperson told The Sun: 'We have had to make small changes to the prices of some of our products due to rising costs. We continue to offer our customers great value, high-quality products across the entire range, maintaining our value-leading position in the food-to-go market.' For those who want to enjoy Greggs goods at a chaper price Greggs is set to open seven new discount outlet stores this year. Greggs Outlet sells surplus food including sausage rolls and bakes at super cheap prices. You can typically find discounts of up to 75% off - so for example, a four-pack of sausage rolls costs £1.85 in Greggs Outlet, which is 46p a sausage roll. You would normally pay around £4.35 for a four-pack of sausage rolls in a regular Greggs store. Greggs has 38 outlet stores. The sausage roll chain originally wanted to increase this number to 50 in 2025, but it is now aiming for 45 stores. Greggs has not revealed the locations for its new Greggs Outlet stores.
