EXCLUSIVE: Prolific Peruvian thief jailed after security officers march him to police station

A PROLIFIC thief was jailed after private security officers frog-marched him to a police station to ensure he was arrested.

The Met Police has now recognised the importance of private patrols around tourist Mecca Leicester Square by My Local Bobby (MLB) officers in light of the incident.

Security officers from MLB, who carry out 24/7 patrols in an around Leicester Square, spotted Peruvian national Jurge Rojas Contreras, a suspect who they believed was responsible for multiple bag theft offences across their Central London beat over a number of weeks.

Although he made off, discarding a disguise during the pursuit, the security officers caught and detained him in the belief he had committed previous offences at McDonald’s and a separate bag theft from a local business manager, who was also a former police officer.

David McKelvey, who set up MLB, after retiring as a DCI with the Met Police, posted on LinkedIn: 'Police were contacted immediately. Despite repeated calls, no unit attended for approximately 90 minutes, a reality increasingly driven by severe resource pressures. During this time, advice was given by police to release the suspect.

'But my officers did not. Instead, evidence was secured and witnesses were managed.

'The suspect was then escorted to Charing Cross police station to ensure the matter was dealt with appropriately. Even there, police officers initially advised that the male should be released on the basis that no offence had been committed that day.

'It was only when the victim, himself a former police officer, directly challenged this position and confirmed identification that the matter was properly reviewed.'

Contreras was then finally arrested before an investigation began.

A Met Police spokesperson said: 'At around 10:30pm on Saturday, 24 January 2026, officers responded to reports that a man in his 40s had been detained by a local security team called My Local Bobby and later brought to Charing Cross police station.

'It was alleged by the security team that the man had stolen a bag from a member of the public in a restaurant in Leicester Square on Tuesday, 20 January.

'Following enquiries by officers at the station Jurge Rojas Contreras, 49, of Kent Road, Southwark, was arrested and charged with theft on Sunday, 25 January.

'On (this) Saturday evening local officers were dealing with multiple incidents. A unit was assigned to attend to the detained man however it was immediately diverted to an incident in Leicester Square. We appreciate the frustration this caused, but we have to prioritise our resources where most needed.

'From April, the West End Town Centre Team will move to full 24/7 coverage, supported by the uplift of 80 additional officers. We also recognise the continued contribution of My Local Bobby in helping to keep the West End safe.'

Contreras was charged with stealing a handbag, of a value unknown, from a member of the public, on January 20, the incident the MLB officers had alerted police to.

He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, 26 January, when he pleaded guilty to the offence.

He was sentenced to ten weeks in prison with a record of the court hearing saying 'only a custodial sentence can be justified because of an unprovoked attack of a serious nature (and) because the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property.'