Evening Standard Reporter's Camera Stolen in Shoreditch Pub; Met Police Dispatch Error Delays Response
Last week, Luke Reevey, a reporter for the Evening Standard, had his Panasonic Lumix S5 II camera taken from him at a pub in Shoreditch, central London. While he was celebrating a colleague's departure, he realized his black backpack was gone. Security footage revealed that two men had stolen it. Although Reevey reached out to the Metropolitan Police, he was mistakenly directed to the City of London Police due to a dispatch mix-up. The City Police documented the incident, even though it fell outside their jurisdiction. The Metropolitan Police later issued an apology, attributing the error to a CAD system malfunction. Reevey expressed his disappointment about the lost chance to apprehend the thieves and humorously requested alerts for any low-priced Panasonic Lumix S5 II listings on Facebook Marketplace.
Key facts
- Evening Standard reporter Luke Reevey had his Panasonic Lumix S5 II camera, tripod, and microphone stolen from a pub in Shoreditch, East London, last week.
- The theft occurred in broad daylight while Reevey was having a drink with colleagues to celebrate a colleague's final shift.
- Security footage showed two men near the pub's entrance, one hooking his foot around the backpack's strap and dragging it, and the other picking it up before they walked out.
- Reevey contacted the Metropolitan Police about 15 minutes after the theft, but the operator said the address was not listed and directed him to the City of London Police.
- The City of London Police recorded the crime even though it was outside their jurisdiction, by which time around 45 minutes had passed.
- The Metropolitan Police later apologized, saying an error in its Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system caused the misdirection.
- The force said three indicators should have confirmed its jurisdiction: the borough of Tower Hamlets, the EC2A postcode, and proximity to Old Street station, more than a third of a mile north of the City of London boundary.
- The Metropolitan Police said the call has been reviewed internally and appropriate action taken, and the theft investigation is ongoing.
Entities
Artists
- Luke Reevey
Institutions
- Evening Standard
- Metropolitan Police
- City of London Police
- Facebook Marketplace
- Panasonic
- PetaPixel
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Shoreditch
- East London
- Old Street station
- City of London
- Tower Hamlets
- Brick Lane
- Surrey
- Hertfordshire
- North of England