burlyshirley - // I just think it's way over the top after what Couzens got away with for so long, and barry to say they reacted like that because of Couzens is just ridiculous - there's no comparison ! //
It's not 'way over the top' - it's application of the regulations governing the behaviour of police officers, and the law of theft.
To mention it in the same sentence as the Couzens situation infers that there is a link, even though as you confirm, there is no comparison.
Your inference is that the police acted in an overly-zealous manner in light of what happened previously.
My view is that they have acted properly, and the two situations are not linked, and the failures in one have not, and should not, impact on the other.