Off-Duty Inowrocław Officer Catches Perfume Thief at Shopping Gallery

According to the Inowrocław Poviat Police Headquarters (KPP Inowrocław), an unusual incident took place in one of the shopping galleries in Inowrocław on 21 January 2026.

While off duty, traffic police officer Senior Sergeant Mikołaj Śmiałowski caught a thief in the act after a shop assistant ran out of the store shouting after him „Help, thief, help!”. The officer, as soon as he heard the call for help, went into action. He surprised the fleeing man, subdued him and recovered 8 stolen bottles of perfume worth 4,600 zloty.

W inowrocławskiej galerii jedna z pracownic drogerii zaczęła krzyczeć "Pomocy, złodziej!" wskazując palcem na uciekającego złodzieja, krzyki kobiety usłyszał st. sierż. Mikołaj Śmiałowski, który w czasie wolnym robił w galerii zakupy.

Nie musimy pisać jak to się skończyło dla… pic.twitter.com/w3vPKkkhXX

— Służby w akcji (@Sluzby_w_akcji) January 22, 2026

The perpetrator turned out to be a 17-year-old resident of Bydgoszcz. He has now been taken to a police detention cell, where he will answer for the theft, and faces a penalty of up to 5 years in prison.

Source: KPP Inowrocław