Determined police work clamping down on car key burglaries has led to two suspects being charged and six more arrested.
An officer spotted and followed a car believed to have been stolen during a burglary in Besecar Avenue, Gedling. The driver went down a dead end and hit some fencing before running off.
The officer chased after him and quickly caught up, catching the suspect within minutes as he tried to jump over a fence in Ashwell Gardens, Hyson Green, shortly before 6.30pm yesterday (Sunday 25 July 2021). An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and theft of a motor vehicle.
Police made another four more arrests in connection with a separate burglary investigation on Friday night, this time on the M1.
Officers tracked a car thought to be linked to an earlier burglary in Newcombe Drive, Arnold. The residents had disturbed intruders who then fled. They however alerted investigating officers to a suspicious Ford Mondeo estate car they had seen, which police already had flagged on their system for links to other crimes.
This vehicle was later picked up by police ANPR cameras which had tracked it driving up the northbound carriageway of the M1 motorway. Officers used pre-emptive tactics to stop it at Junction 28.
All four occupants in the car were initially arrested for the Arnold burglary. Three of the four were further arrested for other outstanding burglary offences they are suspected of being involved in, while the fourth person was arrested in connection with a spate of car key burglaries in the north of the county. Investigations are ongoing.
Meanwhile a man has appeared in court today (Monday 26 July 2021) charged in connection with another car key burglary investigation following effective police partnership working involving Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire forces.
Officers spotted a car, believed stolen during a burglary in Carlingford Road, Hucknall, on Friday night (23 July 2021), parked in a layby in London Road, Kegworth, Leicestershire.
The passenger got out and was arrested but the driver allegedly sped off towards Kegworth, with officers in pursuit. The car was alleged to have crossed over onto the wrong side of the road, through red lights and was reportedly being driven at excess speed as it went through Kegworth, then towards the M1 and onto the A50 towards Derbyshire.
It eventually came to a stop in some bushes near the A50 and a suspect ran off. A dog and handler and a police helicopter helped with the search and at around 1.20am on Friday a man was found in a body of water. He was helped from the water and arrested.
A 29-year-old man from Hucknall appeared at Southern Derbyshire Magistrates’ Court today charged with burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance.
He was remanded in custody and is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on 23 August 2021.
Another man has also been charged in connection with a car key burglary where two Mini Coopers were stolen.
They were reportedly stolen from a driveway in the Middleton Boulevard area of Nottingham at 6.25am on 3 February.
A man from St Ann’s has been charged with burglary and theft.
He appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Friday (23 July) and was remanded in custody.
He is next due to appear at Nottingham Crown Court on August 20.
Nottinghamshire Police’s ongoing proactive work to combat burglary, which includes two dedicated teams covering the city and county, has led to a 34 per cent drop in reports in the last financial year, official statistics issued last week showed.
Burglaries, robberies, knife crime and other serious offences all decreased, marking a sustained drop which started well before the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Continued investment in specialist policing teams and more officers has helped the force to record an overall annual drop in crime of 21 per cent – comfortably ahead of the national average of 14 per cent.
The new figures, released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday, showed 22,239 fewer offences were recorded in the 12 months to April 2021.
Detective Chief Inspector Nick Waldram, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I’d like to reassure our communities that we take offences such as these very seriously. We want the public to feel safe in their homes and we are doing all we can to further reduce burglary and to bring offenders to justice.
“We also need residents to carry on working with us and follow crime prevention advice as we want to do everything we can to prevent burglaries from happening in the first place.
“Many burglaries happen because a door or window has been left unlocked, which is really an open invitation for burglars.
“We can’t stress enough how important it is to make sure your front and back doors and your windows are kept locked, even when you’re in the house.
“There are also steps people can take to remove the temptation for burglars by keeping possessions out of sight and making it seem like someone’s at home.”
Crime prevention tips include:　
* Residents should make sure that all door and window locks are working properly and ensure that doors and windows are locked at all times.
* Where people are out all day, the advice is to use a timer switch to operate the lights to make it look like someone is at home. Changing the times that the lights come on to simulate an occupied home is also as good idea, as is drawing the curtains or closing blinds as this can prevent people from looking into homes.
* Front doors need to be well lit with the recommendation to use dusk to dawn lighting that automatically comes on as it gets dark.
* People are advised not to open the door unless they know who it is – instead they can use a door spy hole or door chain.
* Visible burglar alarms and carefully directed security lighting can deter burglars.
* Residents are advised to keep desirable items out of view to passers-by. Valuables should not be visible from windows and doors in homes.
* People should ensure house and car keys are kept in a safe place out of sight and well away from letterboxes.
* Residents are advised not to leave spare keys outside or in a garage or shed.
* A safe for personal papers, passports and small items of jewellery is a good idea. This must be secured to the floor or a wall.
* Garages or sheds should never be left unlocked, especially if they connect to a property.
* Having a working home intruder alarm and even a doorbell camera could help deter intruders.
* Anyone who sees somebody acting suspiciously should report it to the police immediately by calling 101 or, in an emergency, call 999.
