Friday - July 18, 2008

Schoolgirl, 12, questioned by police for trying on nail polish (hey. she was wrong but)

Is it me because I’m now an old goat so far over the hill he can’t even see where he’s been?
Or are kids today really dumber in spite of the tech age?

So here finally is the story.

By Caroline Gammell
Last Updated: 11:40AM BST 18/07/2008

A 12-year grammar school girl was held by police for more than an hour and questioned on suspicion of shoplifting after trying on nail polish on one finger in a shop.
Hannah Gilbert painted one fingernail in the peach coloured Revlon varnish at a branch of Boots in Folkestone, Kent, after failing to find a suitable tester.

She was caught by a security guard, questioned by three police officers who checked for criminal records and detained until her parents came to collect her and pay for the polish.

Barry and Cheryl Gilbert said they were read their rights and told their daughter could be forcibly restrained because she was over the age of 10 - even though she had made no attempt to escape.

They criticised the treatment as “heavy-handed” and demanded that the police apologise.

Mrs Gilbert said: “Hannah was scared and crying. The whole approach was very heavy handed.

“I find it incredibly hard to believe this was the most serious incident going on for the police.

“Frankly, this country has gone crazy. This is the sort of thing that just makes me want to pack our bags and leave as soon as Hannah’s finishing her schooling.”

The incident happened earlier this month during a trip to the town centre. Miss Gilbert, who lives 10 miles away in St Mary’s Bay, had only been allowed shopping on her own once before.

The Folkestone School for Girls’ pupil said: “I went into the shop and saw a nail polish which I thought looked alright.

“There were no testers so I put a tiny bit on my thumbnail. The security guard walked up behind me and said I had to pay for it or it would be theft.

“I was really scared. I had no money on me so he said I had to come into the office. “

Mrs Gilbert, a 46-year-old nurse, said: “She was kept for an hour in a small office with the security guard and a manager and the police were called.

“The security guard who caught her was grinning like he had caught a big fish. It was ridiculous.

“At first there were three officers there and when we got there it was just one. The officer told us our rights and that they had the power to forcibly restrain Hannah as she was over the age of 10 - it was completely over the top.

“One officer even told me that if I didn’t pay they would take Hannah in a police van to Folkestone Police station and charge her with theft.

“She’s not the kind of child to do something like that. And who was looking after the shop if the security guard was with my daughter? I would have thought that left them more open to crime.”

Mr and Mrs Gilbert paid the £6.29 price of the polish and pledged never to return to the shop.

A Boots spokesman said: “During the recent event at our Folkestone store we worked with Miss Gilbert and subsequent local law enforcement to ensure an effective resolution was met.

“Mrs Gilbert’s daughter remained on the premises until she was able to be released safely into the care of her parents.

“These safety measures are in place to ensure our customers have a continued safe shopping environment.”

A Kent police spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a store on Sandgate Road in Folkestone by the mother of a 12-year-old girl who had been stopped by shop security.

“No crime was reported and no further action has been taken.”

http://tinyurl.com/6d339g

Posted by Drew458     on 07/18/2008 at 09:36 AM   
Filed Under: • Crime • UK •  
• Comments (4) • Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

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