Security staff at Debenhams on George Street were threatened
with a syringe after confronting an alleged shoplifter last
Tuesday afternoon. The man threatened to stab the staff with the
hypodermic needle before taking flight. Debenhams security staff briefly gave chase before the police
were called in. A 32-yearold man has since been arrested on
suspicion of theft and possession of an offensive weapon. A
spokeswoman for Thames Valley Police said that the police could
not reveal whether they were treating the incident as an HIV
threat because the investigation is currently still ongoing. Debenhams’ spokeswoman Helen Frame said, “There was
an incident in the store on Tuesday afternoon. All our staff are
fine and we are fully co-operating with the police
investigation.” This is the latest in a series of incidents in Oxford where
syringes, possibly filled with HIV infected blood, have been used
as a threat. A robber was recently jailed for three years after threatening
a shop worker with a syringe in a Sainsbury’s store in
Littlemore, Oxford, last year. He claimed to be HIV positive. Earlier this January, another man had tried to rob a newsagent
in Witney by threatening them with a syringe which he claimed was
filled with HIV infected blood.ARCHIVE: 5th week TT 2004
Shoplift Syringe Scare
