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Police 'banned picture of thief to protect her human rights'
By Amy Iggulden
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 27/10/2006

A jeweller targeted by a prolific thief was told by police not to put up warning pictures because it would infringe the woman's human rights, it was claimed yesterday.

Isabel Kurtenbach, a jeweller in Kensington, west London, lost £2,000 worth of gold and silver this week to a woman posing as a wealthy visitor from Dubai.


The woman believed to be the thief is shown trying on jewellery

The thief, who apparently targets the same row of shops once a year, chooses her jewellery before claiming she has to get her credit card from her driver. She then disappears with the goods.

Mrs Kurtenbach, 38, who captured the woman on CCTV, wanted to give other traders her picture to display.

Police told her that it would be against the Human Rights Act and suggested she wait for the thief to strike again so she could grab her and call 999.

"I could not believe that the police were telling me to get hold of this woman myself, a shoplifter who looks like she is on drugs and maybe carries a knife," Mrs Kurtenbach said.

advertisement"If I tried to stop her, she would probably attack me. When I asked the officer what I should do, he shrugged and said a picture would be against the Human Rights Act."

After jewellers complained to newspapers, four officers were sent to apologise to Mrs Kurtenbach and to start investigating the incident. "They seem to have started caring." Mrs Kurtenbach said.

Another jeweller in the area said she was targeted by the woman four years ago and she stole £3,000 worth of stock.

A spokesman for Scotland Yard confirmed that it was investigating the theft but refused to comment on the claim that the picture would infringe the thief's human rights.

He said victims of crime were advised not to put up wanted or warning pictures until they have been handed to police in case they disrupted legal proceedings.

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