London Bus Driver Fired After Confronting Thief, Despite Police Clearing His Actions

A London bus driver has been dismissed from his job after chasing down and restraining a thief who robbed a passenger, even though police determined his use of force was lawful and proportionate.

Mark Hehir, a driver for Metroline, was operating a route between Wembley and Maida Vale in June 2024 when a man boarded the bus, snatched a necklace from a female passenger, and fled. Hehir left the bus—with its engine running—to pursue the suspect, successfully recovering the necklace and returning it to the victim.

The thief later returned to the bus and allegedly threw the first punch at Hehir, who struck back in self-defence, knocking the man unconscious. Hehir then restrained him on the pavement until police arrived nearly 30 minutes later.

Although Hehir was arrested, he was later released without charge. Police concluded his actions were “proportionate and necessary” to defend himself and the passenger.

Despite this, Metroline suspended Hehir the following day and later fired him for gross misconduct. The company cited his decision to leave the bus unattended and his physical confrontation with the suspect as breaches of policy and safety regulations.

At an employment tribunal in Watford, Metroline’s operations manager argued the thief had returned to apologise and that Hehir’s response was excessive. The tribunal upheld the dismissal, ruling the company had reasonable grounds to believe misconduct had occurred.

The case has sparked debate over the limits of employee intervention in crime and whether actions deemed heroic by the public can still lead to job loss under corporate conduct rules.