The policeman, who has served in the force for several years, was caught in a Konsum supermarket in Varberg in 2004 stuffing two shrimp sandwiches, worth 85 kronor, into a plastic bag before proceeding to the checkout and paying for other goods, local newspaper Hallands Nyheter reports.
Some time later he was caught at a homeware store in the same town stealing cutlery worth 1.5 kronor. When he was caught by a guard he tried to struggle free.
Then in February last year he was caught trying to steal a pillow case worth 89 kronor from textile store Hemtex.
The policeman produced a doctor’s certificate at his trial in Varberg that showed he was suffering from a disorder that causes memory lapses and impulsive behaviour. He said he had no memory of the thefts.
The court gave the policeman a suspended prison sentence and ordered that he pay 12,000 kronor in fines.
A spokesperson for the National Police Board admitted to Hallands Nyheter that the man’s crimes called into question his suitability as a police officer, but said that the lenient punishment against him meant it was unlikely that he would lose his job.
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