'Robocop' mayor foils £17,000 raid on jewellers by grabbing thief in headlock as he fled with watches Ray Mallon, the mayor of Middlesbrough, wrestled thief to floor in Edinburgh The 58-year-old held man in headlock until officers arrived to arrest him Former senior officer Mallon got 'Robobop' tag after tough stance on crime Mayor of Middlesbrough Ray Mallon, who tackled a thief as he allegedly fled a jewellers with watches worth £17,000 A former police officer who earned the nickname 'Robocop' for his tough stance on crime has foiled a jewellery heist by tackling a man who allegedly stole two watches worth more than £17,000. Ray Mallon, the mayor of Middlesbrough, wrestled the suspected crook to the ground and held him in a headlock until police arrived. The drama unfolded on Saturday while Mr Mallon, a former senior officer at Cleveland Police, was shopping in Edinburgh. The 58-year-old responded after a thief swooped on Laing Boutique in the city centre. He said: 'I was looking at some watches in the window of a jewellers shop when I noticed a commotion inside. Suddenly a man came sprinting out the door with two assistants chasing after him. What happened next was instinctive, it took me back to the old days. I stepped across the man and we grabbed hold of each other and wrestled for a few seconds. I managed to get him in a headlock and we ended up on the ground. He added that two female shop assistants deserved 'a lot of praise' as they 'showed great courage' throughout the incident. Mr Mallon said: 'The man was shouting and trying to get away but they did a great job helping me to restrain him until police arrived and took him into custody.' It is not the first time that Mr Mallon has sprung into action after a suspected crime has taken place. In 2011 he made a citizen's arrest and held onto a suspect until police arrived, after eggs were pelted at MP Sir Stuart Bell at a Remembrance Day parade. Bravery: Mr Mallon was helped by two shop assistants from the boutique as he detained the man Mr Mallon, who resigned from the police after pleading guilty to 14 charges of misconduct - though he maintains his innocence - announced last year that, after three successive election victories, he will not be standing again. A spokesman for Police Scotland said: 'A 23-year-old man was arrested on Frederick Street, Edinburgh, on Saturday afternoon by officers who responded to an alarm call from a city centre jewellers after an alleged theft of two watches worth more than £17,000. On arrival we found the accused had been detained by a member of the public who saw him running out of the shop and tackled him to the ground. A man was expected to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today in connection with the incident. A spokeswoman for Laing Edinburgh said: 'There was an attempted theft at the Frederick Street store late afternoon. It is a police matter and currently being investigated.