A grateful construction worker got his stolen power tools back and a suspect was arrested thanks to a proactive police operation.
The victim saw the valuable missing items advertised for sale on an internet auction site and after local police officers were alerted, a plan was hatched to reel in the suspect.
He had discovered the theft after getting ready to go to work in his lorry.
The tarpaulin on the back of it had been moved, a lock had been cut and a petrol vibration plate and an upright petrol rammer had been stolen.
After asking around people in the industry and urging people to keep their ears to the ground for any information he and his labourer saw two of the stolen items up for sale online.
His wife, Sharon, reported it to the police and a plan was quickly put together to snare the suspect and recover the goods which were stolen in the Arnold area between 6 and 9 August 2021.
The victims made contact with the seller which led to them getting an address, arranging a time to collect the items and informing the police.
The suspect got a big shock when officers turned up instead at his address in Henning Gardens in Bestwood and arrested him.
The stolen items, as pictured, were recovered from nearby gardens and returned to the victims.
Mrs Yates said: “We’re so grateful to the police for getting this result for us. I was very impressed by Inspector Pearson and his team. They took our report very seriously right from the very start, trusted us, helped us every step of the way and kept us informed.
“It was totally professional and faultless how they orchestrated everything and managed to get these high-value items back to us as well as arresting a suspect.
“It meant a great deal to get the items back. We were so angry and stressed as only a few weeks earlier we had tools stolen from the lorry. We were beside ourselves with worry as this was the second time my husband had to inform his employer of yet another theft.
“It’s only a small Leicestershire company he works for and it’s the smaller firms which are affected more by the cost and inconvenience of these sort of callous thefts.
“This second incident left us feeling nervous and anxious and very vulnerable. We were incredibly upset and it makes you so angry when hard working people like us have this sort of thing happen and someone steals your belongings.
“One of our elderly neighbours was also very shaken by this as her property backs out onto the private car park where the lorry was parked when this happened.”
Inspector Pearson said: “I’m so pleased we were able to get this good result for the victims. As our positive work in this case shows, we treat reports of vehicle crime seriously and will thoroughly investigate.
“I hope it sends out a stark warning that this type of offending will not be tolerated and we will do everything in our power to bring offenders to justice as well as continuing with our preventative work which includes increasing patrols in hot-spot areas and working together with partners to invest in CCTV and other resources to reduce offences and stop them happening in the first place.”
A 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft and enquiries remain ongoing.
To help combat vehicle crime police are urging members of the public to report any suspicious activity to them immediately by calling 101. If an incident is in progress call 999.