A MAN has hit out at police and says they failed to investigate fully after his bank card was used fraudulently.

James Burry was alerted that his bank card had been used when he received a notification that it had been used at China at Lees in Christchurch.

He then realised that he did not have his wallet and card, which he had used just 40 minutes earlier on his way home from a cricket match at Sainsbury’s in Lyndhurst Road.

He swiftly cancelled the card, but he believes the police should have done more to look into the crime.

“It was only £30, but the principle is that they should have acted on it,” James said.

“I think it’s poor, a poor show. It should send out a signal to say you can’t do it, it leaves it open to anyone else.”

The 52-year-old said he was told by officers that investigating the crime would be ‘timewasting’ as it would take ‘hours’ to look through CCTV footage at Sainsbury’s and the takeaway.

“’If we do find this person and he gets arrested, he’s only going to get fined, it's wasting time.’” James said he was told.

“The principal matter is that a crime has been committed. You’re not enforcing the law, and I think that’s wrong.”

James said he had been to the Chinese restaurant and had been told that the man who bought the food arrived by car and was picked up by CCTV as he smoked a cigarette outside the restaurant.

He said he is a CCTV licence holder and has provided time stamps on when he when he last used his card at Sainsbury’s and when the card was used at the restaurant.

The card was then used to buy a bus ticket.

A spokesperson for the force said: “We received a report at 11.42pm on Saturday 20 May 2023 relating to fraudulent use of a bank card.

“It was reported that the victim believe they had lost their wallet in the car park of Sainsbury’s supermarket in Lyndhurst Road and their card had subsequently been used to carry out two transactions with a total value of around £33.

“It was subsequently reported that the victim had been reimbursed by their bank.

“Officers have carried out proportionate enquiries into this incident and a review of the investigation has been conducted by an inspector. No arrests have been made at this time.”