Nottinghamshire Police has issued these CCTV images and footage as part of a cross-border operation targeting car key burglaries.
We’d like to speak to the people pictured in connection with a spate of burglaries where suspects have broken into homes to steal car keys before taking vehicles from drives.
The video clip shows men peering through the downstairs window of a home in Caunton, Nottinghamshire, at around 2pm on 30 April 2018. The men, filmed from a camera within the property, hide their faces after realising they’d been caught on camera. Nothing was taken from the address.
Nottinghamshire Police is working closely with Derbyshire Police, Lincolnshire Police, South Yorkshire Police and North Yorkshire Police to identify offenders and bring them to justice as part of ‘Operation Ignite’.
Other key objectives include reducing the number of burglaries and increasing public reassurance and confidence.
The joint operation follows the creation of two new dedicated Nottinghamshire Police burglary teams which are concentrating their efforts on tackling and reducing burglary in the city and county.
The teams have been created as part of a new Force structure, moving towards a more geographic model that provides dedicated policing services for the city and county, based in the communities they serve.
Detective Inspector Steve Wragg, who leads the county burglary team, said: “We’re appealing to the public to help us identify those involved in a large number of car key burglaries and associated burglaries.
“We’ve identified 12 burglaries in Nottinghamshire which we’re connecting and which have been captured under the heading of Operation Ignite.
“This operation is being used by the quintet of Forces to capture and readily identify offences linked to a number of cross-force travelling criminals.
“Operation Ignite does identify that offences have been committed by the same organised crime group across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, South Yorkshire and North Yorkshire.
“It’s very likely that the persons pictured with this appeal do not live in Nottinghamshire but are more likely to live in one of our surrounding Force areas.”
The dates and locations of the 12 burglaries which our officers are connecting under Operation Ignite are as follows:
23 March – Newark
28 March – Sherwood
11 April – Mapperley and Southwell
30 April – Ollerton, Claypole, North Muskham, Caunton
2 May – Blyth
3 May – Worksop
7 May – Saundby
10 May – Beckingham
DI Wragg added: “Our new dedicated burglary teams and Operation Ignite are making a big push on tackling burglary and bringing offenders to justice but we still need people to help us by reporting any suspicious activity and reviewing their own home security to make themselves less of a target.
“We’re asking the public to be vigilant as we know the vast majority of burglaries are preventable as they are often opportunistic.
“Make sure your front and back doors and windows are locked even when you’re in and never leave your car keys on show through a window when not using them. Do not leave them in locks, on the window ledges or kitchen/hall tables and never on a hook behind the door or in reach of a letterbox or cat flap.
“If possible park your vehicle in a garage. If you have to park it on your driveway or on the street, consider using additional security devices, make sure the area is well lit, ensure the vehicle is secure and that nothing of value is left in it – such as tools, laptops, or money.
“If you have gates securing your driveway area make sure you keep them closed and locked.”
We’re urging anyone who recognises any of the people in our CCTV pictures and clip to call us on 101 (quoting incident number 405 of 30 April for the Caunton incident) or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
For more advice on how to keep your property safe visit http://www.nottinghamshire.police.uk/advice/preventionIncident Number:000405-30042018
