text: A teenager had to close her mother’s shop to detain a shoplifter for three hours until police arrived – only for them to let her off with a caution. Katie Cope, 17, said she feared being assaulted by the agitated woman after police repeatedly refused to give her an estimated time for their arrival. She had to close the shop and put down the electronic shutter after the thief became abusive towards other customers and kept trying to leave. Let down: Store owner Eve Cope with assistant, Sol, who helped Katie to detain the shoplifter . When police finally got to the vintage clothing store, they said the stolen knickers, which had been reduced to £1, were not worth enough to prosecute. Yesterday, Katie and her mother Eve Cope, 60, told of their fury at the police’s response and accused officers of giving a ‘green light’ to shoplifters by merely cautioning the 66-year-old culprit. Mrs Cope, who has owned the Baklash store in Nottingham city centre for 33 years, was away when the thief struck last Thursday. She said: ‘I was really scared for the safety of my daughter. I do feel like the police let the shoplifter off. ‘This must be the fifth time I have had to deal with a shoplifter in the last few years – on one occasion I was even assaulted and hit my head on the pavement outside the shop when I tried to stop a thief. ‘The police asked me to drop the case against the girl responsible because she offered to apologise and pay for the shirt she stole.’ Katie said: ‘It is a ridiculous situation. I could have been in trouble if the woman had reacted aggressively to being held in the shop. ‘I’m really disappointed with the police. Letting this woman off just gives a green light to shoplifters.’ A male shop assistant called Sol was working with Katie when she spotted the shoplifter leaving with a pair of knickers in her handbag. Katie stopped the thief outside the shop at 2.50pm and led her back inside while Sol dialled 101 – the police non-emergency number. Katie said: ‘I was not going to let her go. She didn’t apologise and when police eventually got here she lied about her age and her name three times.’ Officers arrived within nine minutes after Mrs Cope, pictured outside her store, made a formal complaint . When Katie was still waiting for a police response three hours later, Mrs Cope rang to make a formal complaint and officers arrived nine minutes later, at 6.10pm. Mrs Cope said: ‘They told us that because the underwear was only priced at £1, they would not prosecute. ‘I told them it wasn’t just the value of the knickers at play here, but the fact we had lost three hours of trade by having to close. They just told me I would have to pursue a civil case for damages against the thief if I wanted to take it further.’ Local councillor Michael Edwards called the incident ‘concerning’. A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: ‘We aim to provide the best possible service to anyone who calls to report a crime, but in periods of high demand response times can be affected.’ Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Commissioner Paddy Tipping said: ‘I am sorry that the business in question had a problem. Shoplifting is not as much of a problem as it used to be.’ However, figures from crime data analysts, UK Crime Stats, showed that in Nottingham there was a rise in shoplifting offences from 288 last February to 324 this February.
target: Katie Cope, 17, detained a shoplifter in her mother's vintage clothing store .
  Police took three hours to arrive at Baklash store in Nottingham city centre .
  Thief given caution by police for attempting to steal the £1 knickers .
  Officers told store owners the knickers not worth enough to prosecute .