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A hapless crook tried to steal from a car parked outside a training session for bouncers – who arrested him within seconds.

Ten trainee doormen were learning how to detain troublemakers using handcuffs at The Training Hub on Store Street, Manchester city centre, when dim-witted Nathan Webb slid inside the unlocked Vauxhall Astra in a bid to swipe its sat-nav.

Unfortunately for Webb, the car belonged to a member of staff at the centre, Danny Rose, who saw what was happening from inside the building.

Danny went out to his car and then called for help from Training Hub boss Marcus Gentles, a bouncer with 16 years of experience on Manchester doors, who was conducting the session at the time.

CCTV footage of the incident shows Webb being apprehended by Marcus, who asks one of the candidates to pass him a pair of handcuffs that were being used during training.

The doorman then cuffed and detained Webb in the classroom for 15 minutes until police arrived.

Webb, 39, was later charged and the next day, on 23 September, he appeared before magistrates in Manchester – where he pleaded guilty to theft from a motor vehicle.

Marcus, a former Fusilier who lives in Oldham, described how candidates on the training course thought the incident had been staged as part of the session.

He added: “It was just so funny. He’s come up to a building that is teaching doormen how to arrest people – and has tried to steal from them.

“I said to him, ‘Are you stupid mate? There are big signs outside’.

“He said, ‘You’ve got to take a chance, mate’.”

Marcus’ training centre works with Get Licensed to offer Security Industry Authority (SIA) approved sessions for would-be doormen.

The 40-year-old, who has been training doormen for five years, said he taught candidates to make citizen’s arrests using handcuffs because police were increasingly over-stretched so often took up to 20 minutes to attend an incident.

He added: “People slag off the police but when you work in the industry you see how under-funded and over-stretched they are. That’s why we are now doing the arrests ourselves.”

Webb is due to be sentenced later this month.