Jailed: Police officer takes down prolific Wolverhampton shop thief after he was caught in laundry aisle

Martin Johnson was detained at a store in Oxley on January 22 as Sergeant Peter Stephenson, who is with West Midlands Police's Low Hill, Bushbury and Fallings Park team sprang into action, raced into the shop aisle and arrested him.

The neighbourhood teams work closely with retailers, shopkeepers and traders across the city as they work to tackle shop thefts which can  impact local businesses and the communities they serve.

Sergeant Stephenson was aware of a known shop thief who was repeatedly striking at a shop in the Oxley Moor Road area of the city with goods valued at around £2,000 being taken in just a few months.

At around 8.40pm Johnson was seen to walk into the shop and head to the laundry aisle where he started filling his bag with products.

Sergeant Stephenson said: "I ran out of the back office and into the shop to confront him. 

"Whilst I tried to peacefully detain him, he did put up a struggle but I wasn't giving up and he was arrested and handcuffed."

Johnson, aged 35, was charged with 18 counts of shop theft between November 2025 and 20 January 2026, and appeared at Wolverhampton Magistrates Court om Saturday January 24 where he pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed for a total of a year.

Sergeant Stephenson said: "Stealing products from shops does have an impact on us all. 

"It can be a heavy burden for retailers to carry when their stock is just taken without payment.

"But there is also the risk to shop staff, or even members of the public, who can be threatened or sometimes physically assaulted by shop thieves when they try to step in to stop the crime.

"We want to send a clear message that we will not tolerate shop thieves and that we are committed to identifying who you are, detaining you and bringing you before the courts where, like in this case, you can face a jail term that runs into many months."