Police warning after thefts from vans

VAN owners are being warned to remove valuable items from their vehicles after a spate of thefts in which doors were “peeled back” by determined thieves.
By Admin
Published 30th Oct 2013, 09:06 BST
Updated 10th Jan 2017, 18:56 BST

Officers said that instruments such as crowbars had been employed by offenders who damaged vans to gain access to their contents in a series of four thefts in a single night this week.

Overnight on Monday (28) and Tuesday (29) were stolen from vehicles parked in:  Bradstone Road, Herringthorpe; Broadway East, East Dene; Clifton Crescent, Clifton, and Lathe Road, Whiston.

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Temporary Det Sgt Jamie Henderson said that van drivers should always remove valuables, especially expensive power tools, from their vans at night.

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He said: “Thieves can be stopped in their tracks if there's nothing for them to steal.

“It only takes a few minutes to go to the trouble of taking tools and other valuables into the house at night, rather than leaving them in a van.

“But it can save an awful lot of time, hassle and money.”

South Yorkshire Police launched Operation Lockdown at the beginning of October in a drive to cut burglary and vehicle crime.

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The operation, currently running across Sheffield, Rotherham, Doncaster and Barnsley, has involved activity including high-profile and covert police patrols, vehicle checkpoints with automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) systems and the use of vehicles loaded with CCTV and trackable valuables to snare thieves.