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On 16th August, we attended Ventura Park following reports of some shoplifters targeting stores on the retail park. Retail staff directed us towards the offenders and officers detained two males who were found in possession of de-tagging devices and large empty backpacks.
A search was conducted on their vehicle wherein the back seat and boot were filled with stolen items valued at around £1000. These items were seized will need to be identified and returned to the right stores.
Two males, aged 27 and 31, from Burton, were arrested for going equipped to steal, and for theft offences. Their vehicle was also seized as it had been used to commit crime.
They have since been released on conditional bail pending investigation.
We are often asked "Why did you let them go?"
The short answer is that we have to by law. The case is not yet ready for a disposal to be made and so they have to be released until the case is concluded.
"You caught them red handed, so why can't it be finalised?"
We need to gather further evidence to ensure that we cover any defences raised in order to get a conviction, so we need to be thorough.
We will deal with anyone stealing from stores robustly, so if you see something that doesn't look, or feel quite right, please call 101 to share information, including descriptions and car registrations, or dial 999 if a theft is occurring in front of you.
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