SHOPPERS thought they had caught a burglar red handed when they spotted a masked man with his ‘swag’ bag in a busy town centre.

But it was none other than PC Chris Butt, and his bag contained crime prevention goodies and leaflets, not ‘filthy lucre’.

His appearance in Monmouth last weekend was part of a police operation targeting shoplifting and other crimes, following a series of purse thefts in the town.

The town’s police team also saw officers in plain clothes acting suspiciously in stores that have Store Net – the communications system between shops and the police.

The idea was to test the observation skills of shop staff, and have them put descriptions out over Store Net to see if the undercover officers were spotted going into other stores and then challenged.

The operation helped increase the confidence of staff using the radio and tested their observation skills.

Local Community Support Officers were also assisting and speaking to members of the public to raise awareness of what criminals can get up to in town centres.

Meanwhile, police are appealing for information to catch real thieves after the theft of two iPhones from Haart’s Estate Agents off Monmouth’s Agincourt Square.

Two men who asked about properties in the area sat at a desk and stole the phones on Friday, March 10, around 3.25pm, said a police spokesman.

Gwent Police have released pictures of men they want to speak to regarding the thefts.

If anyone has any information, call 101 quoting log 318 10/3/17.