On a weekend day shift in the afternoon I was rounding a corner while on patrol in the mall. I could see a group of teens walking by dressed up like they may be going to a concert. I noticed that one of them was holding a life-sized cardboard cutout but I could only see the back. I thought the prospect of going to a concert with a cardboard cutout was actually pretty cool.

One of the teens looked my direction and they all suddenly sped up and then starting sprinting away from me down the hall. Was it something I said?

I continued on my patrol not thinking much of the interaction. A more paranoid person may have thought it suspicious that they ran as they looked in my direction but I try not to over think and over analyze every interaction in my day to day because I don't want to be the type of person who lets common place coincidences like those interfere with ... ah shit, they just stole Justin Beiber.

I remembered that the pharmacy had a life-sized cutout of the Biebs in their fragrance section promoting his new stank. I headed over to confirm my suspicions and was kind of relieved it was gone to be honest; it was sort of creepy. When you walk around a mall at night and everything is closed it really startles you to see 3D cutouts of humans standing around.

The pharmacy wasn't open at the time of the heist but they were able to reach their hand through the gap in the door to get a good grip on his shoulder. His slender physique slipped right through the crack. A larger man wouldn't have fit.

I called it in over the radio more as a joke than an APB but it caused the supervisor to catch wind and head down for the details.

I don't want to say he over reacted but there was talk of calling the police, reviewing camera footage, calling other surrounding properties to see if they had seen a group of teens carrying around a cardboard Justin Beiber cutout. I asked him if he really thought this was serious enough to call the police, he didn't answer but I think he may have. He told me to write a report, I asked him if he wanted me to write it as a theft or a missing person's report. He did not laugh.

What did I learn? - There is a time and place for humour, when your supervisor is a Beleiber, it's not the time or place.

Also, be just a little more suspicious of people running after they see you.