Man 'disgusted' after Derbyshire police say they won't investigate theft despite crystal clear CCTV - because suspect hasn't been arrested before

A builder has said he is 'disgusted' after Derbyshire police found crystal clear photos of a thief emptying his bank account and then "shelved" the case - because the suspect "had never been arrested before."
Graham BuckGraham Buck
Graham Buck

Graham Buck had his Samsung S8 and debit card stolen from his pocket in a nightclub - and the thieves then took £200 from his bank account.

The 60-year-old reported the December 9 theft to Derbyshire Police, and hoped they would track down the crook.

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A few days later, cops got back to him to say they had crystal clear CCTV footage of the suspect using Graham's card the night of the theft, in Derby.

Graham BuckGraham Buck
Graham Buck

But the dad-of-two was horrified when the female officer then told him they would not be investigating, because it was not classed as a serious offence and they did not have the manpower to trace the man - because he had not been arrested before.

Graham, dad to Nicole, 14, and Charnell, 12, blasted police in Derbyshire as "disgusting" and even asked for a copy of the CCTV image so he could try and identify his mugger.

He said: "The police have all the information and want to do nothing about it, they said because he has not been arrested before he do not have the resources to find him.

"I am disgusted, he might be a regular there.

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"What does it take to get one police officer to show a photo to a doorman and say 'do you recognise this person'?

"I was so upset when she said to me they would shelve it, she said 'I'm sorry, we have not got the resources and it is not what we class as a serious offence.

"There is nothing we can do, we don't be doing anything about it. We have shelved it.'"

Shortly before Christmas Graham went to Fever nightclub in Derby where he met four men who distracted him and kept him chatting as they picked his pocket of a bank card and phone.

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Between 2.30am and 3.05am the thief spent around £200 with the contactless card when he visited a petrol station and again in a 'Mr Booze' corner shop.

Graham believes the men inside the nightclub kept him chatting and distracted him as one dipped his hand into his jacket pocket and stole the bank card and phone, which had precious photos of his two young daughters.

He said: "This guy I met introduced me to to four people and they kept me talking and the next thing I know I went and put my hand in my pocket and my phone had gone.

"It was the first time I had gone to this nightclub, I don't really like clubbing it's not really my thing.

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"I think it's a gang, they could be targeting loads of people in that nightclub but police simply don't care.

"This chap's using the card, who is to say he is not going to get tanked up and then go and attack someone, they just pushed it to one side.

"Their words were 'we have an absolutely fantastic clear picture of him but the bad news is we cannot to do anything about it because he has not been arrested before."

The dad added: "It's not the money, it's the photos of my young daughters that I care about.

"I don't get to see them very often and those pictures show them at their happiest."

Derbyshire Police have been contacted for a comment.