Police officers who refused to arrest a shoplifter because they were ‘too busy’ waiting for a kebab are facing the sack.
The unnamed patrolmen had been sitting in their squad car in the city of Poznań in western Poland when they were approached by a distraught woman saying her fiancee had seized a thief in a nearby shop.
Local hero Krzysztof Ziętkowski had been shopping in a perfume store when three men stormed in, grabbed exclusive scents, and made for the exit.
As security guards yelled for help, Ziętkowski sprang into action, rugby tackling one of the thieves to the ground.
As the wannabe thief was bundled into a backroom, his fiancee Kaja ran outside for help.
But when she asked the policemen for help, they refused saying they were waiting for a kebab.
Outraged Kaja told Polish news channel Fakty TVN: “A policewoman was sitting in the patrol car; she rolled down the window.
“I begged her to act. She leisurely pulled out her phone to call her partner, who was waiting for his kebab.”
She added that they told her to call someone else.
A perfume store employee said: “Whenever a thief is caught, we end up waiting about four hours for the police.”
Ziętkowski and his fiancée tried filing a complaint at the station but were turned away.
“We were simply ushered out of the police station, like trash,” Kaja said.
The fiasco sparked public outrage, forcing Poznań police to launch a disciplinary probe into the officers.
They now face a reprimand or the sack.
Deputy Interior Minister Czesław Mroczek later said he wants a full report before acting further.
