Members of the public have been praised for their role in halting a brazen bike thief on a busy London street, after two passers-by tackled the criminal, enabling police officers to catch and arrest him.
Christopher Forrester was jailed last month after pleading guilty to the theft of a bicycle and for breaching his Criminal Behaviour Order (CBO). The 39-year-old was arrested while attempting to steal a bike using an angle grinder on Cheapside, in the City of London, at around 6.10pm on Tuesday 16 June 2026.
In footage taken from CCTV cameras and body cameras worn by City of London police officers, and posted on social media this week by the Home Office, Forrester can be seen cutting through a bike owner’s D-lock using an angle grinder.
As the 39-year-old attempts to free the bike from its stand, two officers on patrol were alerted to the theft by members of the public. The officers can be seen running towards the thief, shouting “Get down!” before brandishing their tasers.
Forrester then flees with the bike and runs down the pavement, where one bystander attempts to hit him with an object, briefly slowing him down. Two members of the public then try to stop Forrester, with one flinging himself through the air to rugby tackle the thief.
That dramatic intervention enables the officers to catch up and apprehend the criminal. The bike, worth £1,800, was also returned to its owner.
In August, Forrester was sentenced at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to 24 weeks in prison for theft and 12 weeks in prison for breaching his CBO, terms he is serving concurrently.
In a statement accompanying the video, the Home Office said: “This thief thought he could get away with using an angle grinder to steal a £1,800 bike on a busy London street during rush hour.
“People were walking past when members of the public spotted what was happening and alerted City of London Police who were nearby.
“When officers arrived, he grabbed the bike and ran. Following a chase through the streets, officers caught him, with a firm helping hand from a member of the public.”
In the comments on Facebook, however, it was that “firm helping hand” from the public which has attracted the most praise.
“The member of the public intervened, otherwise he’d be gone,” noted Martyn Hughes, while Damien Coolican wrote: “Well done to the public that intervened. British police are as much use as a chocolate fireguard.”
“The police were well out of their depth here,” added Omar. “Imagine warning a thief that you’re coming for them… when you’re not actually capable of doing that. Credit to the members of the public.”
Nevertheless, the City of London Police has characterised the bike thief’s arrest, and his subsequent sentencing, as evidence of the benefits of “proactive patrols” and proof that “theft will not be tolerated”.
“This sentencing demonstrates that theft will not be tolerated and that offenders will be brought before the courts,” Police Constable Izzy Grace said in a statement.
“Members of the public alerted our officers when they were carrying out patrols in the City and they immediately arrested the suspect.
“The City’s extensive CCTV network remains an invaluable tool in helping us investigate offences and secure convictions. We will continue to carry out proactive patrols, target offenders, and use all available evidence-gathering opportunities to bring those responsible for crime to justice.”
While the City of London Police has lauded its CCTV network when it comes to catching bike thieves, cyclists elsewhere in London and across the UK haven’t been as impressed in recent months with their respective police force’s handling of footage of their stolen bikes.
In April, former BBC journalist Rory Cellan-Jones told us that the Metropolitan Police had closed their investigation into his stolen bike just 20 minutes after he reported it, because they “couldn’t pinpoint” exactly when it was stolen – even though the bike was parked directly beneath CCTV cameras.
Meanwhile in Oxford, MP Layla Moran was informed by the police that the place where her e-bike was stolen in July was a “CCTV blackspot”, despite the Liberal Democrat politician filming a number of security cameras in the area.
This summer’s thwarted bike theft attempt on Cheapside isn’t the first time members of the public have intervened to rescue a stolen bike.
In January 2025, we reported that a security guard was hailed an “absolute hero” after he got in the way of a bike thief who then attacked him with an angle grinder in east London.
Cyclist Jaume Munte was working in a café on Holywell Lane in Shoreditch when he was alerted by a colleague that a thief was tempting to steal his bike, a Specialized Allez worth around £1,000, by cutting through the lock with an angle grinder.
Footage of the incident, which took place at around 3pm, in broad daylight on a busy street lined with motorists, showed the guard – who spotted the theft taking place on CCTV – attempting to wrest the bike from the robber.
The thief then motions towards the security guard with his angle grinder, cutting him in the process and leaving “him covered in blood”, as the guard manages to strike him several times with the broken lock.
Munte can then be seen in the clip running from the café, at which point the thief flees, dropping his bag in the process. The cyclist briefly gives chase, but soon returns, and offers the guard a well-deserved hug.
