Shop staff locked in a suspected thief at a Shropshire computer and telephone shop and called police – after recognising him from CCTV footage.

Now police have commended workers who detained the man at PC Stop in Arleston, Telford. Chief Superintendent Pete Robinson, of West Mercia police, wrote to the staff to thank them for their actions.

Shop owner Wehid Iqbal said staff trawled through CCTV footage after a mobile phone was stolen in case the theft was captured on film.

“I decided to go through the CCTV,” he said.

“I was going through the CCTV and saw two men coming into the shop. I remembered them.

“I saw one of them picking up a phone from the cabinet and put it in in his back pocket.”

He said the other man was distracting staff and there were other customers in at the time.

“We had resigned ourselves to the loss,” said Mr Iqbal. “Police came to see us. The officer left and we didn’t think we were going to hear anything of it.

“An hour later the same men came in. We realised and called my colleague and he calmly went to the door to put on the latch.”

Mr Iqbal said one man noticed, but the other was locked in the shop and was detained by shop staff with the help of a customer.

In his letter, Mr Robinson said: “It has been brought to my attention that you assisted Telford police, when you detained a person who had committed a theft on a previous occasion. As a result of your actions this person was arrested.

“May I take this opportunity to formally thank you on behalf of myself and the police officers concerned.”

Mr Iqbal said staff at the shop were just happy to have been able to help in the incident, which took place on April 28, at about 5pm.

Telford police spokeswoman Denise Wakefield said: “We can confirm an incident took place at a premises in Kingsland, Arleston. A man was arrested on suspicion of theft and later charged.”

By Lisa Rowley