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Date Published: 24/04/2024

Barcelona robber caught by off-duty British police officers

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The five policemen were on holiday in Spain for a bachelor party

Barcelona robber caught by off-duty British police officers

On Monday April 22, one very unlucky thief attempting to rob a Barcelona restaurant found himself confronted by an unexpected crowd of vigorous pursuers – five off-duty Metropolitan Police officers on holiday from the UK to celebrate a stag party.

One of the attending officers, Sergeant Eren Emin, described the incident, stating that the robber vaulted over the counter and proceeded to pilfer cash registers and electronic devices like iPads and iPhones. The British officers immediately sprang up from their table and chased the man down the street for about 50 metres before they caught him.

He was then marched back to the restaurant to await the arrival of the Spanish authorities.

When questioned if his professional instinct kicked in immediately, Sergeant Emin said that he and his colleagues responded to the crime in progress without a second thought.

"I didn't have a chance to think 'I'm not a police officer and I'm not in the UK'," he said, adding that it was "a case of just getting him stopped".

But the officer also saw the lighter side of the whole episode and took to social media later that day to describe the thwarted robbery.

"Never off duty... even when in another country! Unlucky to the person who decided to commit burglary with a table full of UK police sitting there. The male was pursued and detained nearby.

"Police arrived, statements taken and male in custody. Now back to my holiday."

When speaking to the Spanish officers once they arrived at the scene, Sergeant Emin said the restaurant staff were "really shocked because they didn't expect the whole table of their customers to get up and get this chap and recover all their goods".

The hero officer, who is based in Enfield, London, joked that he is well known around the station for sniffing out trouble when he's off duty:

"I'm quite known within my organisation for arresting people off duty – here in the UK, wherever I go, I always end up attracting or coming across crime, which is really strange, so for me, it's just another day."

Images: Sergeant Emin on X

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