A van and a car which had been reported stolen in separate incidents have been recovered by officers following successful proactive efforts.
Officers had initially been called following reports that two men had been seen attempting to steal a motorbike from a car park in Colwick on Thursday evening (24 February 2022).
Following enquiries, officers traced a van to Grass Street, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, and two men are reported to have fled on foot.
As officers investigated further, they found that the van had been reported stolen and they also recovered a number of van keys.
Two men, aged 22 and 32, were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle later that evening.
Detective Constable Paul Crofts, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “As officers were investigating reports of a motorbike being stolen, they were also able to track down a stolen van. This just goes to show how important proactive work is and how valuable it is for officers to be able to do this type of work.
“Vehicles such as vans are extremely valuable for owners, not only being a much needed method of transport, but it also allows them transport a wide variety of things, which may be necessary especially for their businesses and livelihoods.
“Having this stolen will have had a huge impact on the victim and we are very pleased that we have been able to recover this and bring two suspects into custody.
“Our enquiries are ongoing.”
Meanwhile, officers from the Roads Policing Unit came across a car in the Newark area which they believed was being driven on cloned number plates through information from ANPR (automatic number plate recognition) cameras.
Officers attempted to stop the car and subsequently used a stinger to bring it to a halt in Ollerton Road, Newark. Further investigation by officers showed that the car had been reported stolen from Doncaster, South Yorkshire, on Wednesday (23 February 2022) and a 17-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle.
Sergeant Craig Luckett, from Nottinghamshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “This was a great bit of work by officers which really highlights how they work together as a team and goes to show how important ANPR technology in fighting crime.
“My team were able to stop stolen vehicle and arrest an individual on suspicion of the theft. We understand how significantly vehicle thefts can impact victims, both in terms of the financial impact and also how much being without a vehicle can disrupt daily activities.
“I’m pleased to say the stolen car will be returned back to its rightful owner and we want to warn anyone who commits crime in Nottinghamshire that we will track down offenders and ensure that they are appropriately dealt with.”
