A man has denied shoplifting and breaking a Community Protection Order after being arrested in Watford.

Shahjahan Miah, 37, was cuffed by Herts Police following a stop and search on Tuesday (May 14) before being remanded and taken to Hatfield Magistrates’ Court the next morning.

He is alleged to have left B&M in High Street with technology items without attempting to pay for them between 9.19am and 9.26am.

Neighbourhood officers working with Watford Borough Council CCTV operators later charged him with theft from a shop and failing to comply with a Community Protection Notice (CPN).

Miah, of no fixed abode, pleaded not guilty to both charges and was released on conditional bail ahead of a trial on September 23.

In a separate incident last month, James Anderson, 37, was barred from atria Watford after being charged with theft from a shop and failure to comply with a CPN.

He is alleged to have stolen from Victoria’s Secret on February 15. Anderson, of no fixed address, was released on bail ahead of his next court appearance on September 5.

Shoplifting in Hertfordshire jumped 32 per cent last year, according to Office for National Statistics figures, with 8,638 incidents recorded compared to 6,550 the previous year.

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