Police investigating the bizarre vandal attacks on old Toyota vehicles have made a number of arrests.
Three people, including a wanted man and juvenile, have been arrested,
During a Partners and Community Together (PACT) meeting on Wednesday, police, councillors and concerned residents addressed the issue of vehicle crime in the Rumworth ward, specifically in the Deane area.
Officers said they have come up with a three-phase approach to catch the criminals committing vehicle-related crimes - and have made three arrests.
Sgt Cooper said: “There is a high amount of vehicle crime in the Rumworth area, especially when it comes to the windows of Toyotas being smashed.
“These vandals are taking items from inside the cars. While this might sound relatively petty, when targeted more than once this has a huge impact on people’s lives”.
Using a' reactive, proactive and preventative' approach, officers have arrested three people they believe could be linked to the Toyota-targeted crimes.
Sgt Cooper said that a juvenile has been arrested and charged with three counts of handling stolen goods.
He added: “The problem we have is linking the crime with the thefts themselves, although we did find stolen goods at their property so we could charge them for that.
“We now hope to begin a process of rehabilitation for this juvenile; however, if they continue to offend, there will be a more severe punishment”.
READ MORE: Footage emerges of Toyota car being vandalised in Deane
Toyota vehicles targeted by vandals in Deane say residents
A second arrest was made of an older person believed to have targeted a vehicle to obtain money.
Sgt Cooper added: “A bank card had gone missing from a stolen vehicle and after we spoke with the victim, we discovered it had been used at a shop.
“We watched through CCTV and our experienced officers were able to identify the person.
“This offender has been released on bail but we believe they will be charged again with handling stolen goods.”
A final arrest was made when officers found a man ‘hiding’ fully clothed in a shower.
Sgt Cooper said: “This person had been living with one of the offenders we went to arrest.
“We found them in a shower, fully clothed, in the dark and with the water turned off, which was more than a bit suspicious.
“We were given false details when we asked for his name so we used a fingerprint scanner and discovered he was wanted and a prolific offender.”
Police said the man had been wanted since September 2023 for a burglary.
He has since been charged and remanded to prison.
Sgt Cooper said: “This has all come from the work of neighbourhood police.
“This spate of vehicle crime is awful and frustrating for residents but I believe we are in a good place and making progress.”
This week, there have been three reports of vehicle thefts.
Sgt Cooper added: “This is disappointing but one of these reports is not in the Rumworth area, and the other two are not related to the Toyota vandalism we are investigating.
“These vehicles were left unsecured while drivers nipped into the shops.”
One resident who lives near Filton Avenue, said she wants more victims of the crime to report it.
She said: “My car has been targeted four times.
“Once, after it had been smashed, I just had tape over one side and I thought they wouldn’t do it again because it is an old Toyota.
“But they did.
Read more: Footage emerges of Toyota car being vandalised in Deane
“The fourth time they did it, I had to take time off work.
“I’m a single parent and I lost over £100 in earnings that day.
“Every month now I have to put money away to get my windows repaired.
“People aren’t reporting the incidents and we need to so we can find out when they are doing this”.
Officers also urge any victims to report this crime to aid their new three-phase approach.
Sgt Cooper said: “We need to know where this is happening, what time and what is being taken so we can find a pattern.”
This method of assessing reported crime is part of phase one of their new approach to connect the dots and make further enquiries with victims.
This step was used to identify the offender with a bank card that had been taken from a vehicle.
Phase two is a proactive approach.
Using the information they have gathered, officers have been changing their shift patterns to reflect the peak times these crimes are taking place.
This involves a mix of high visibility and younger plain-clothed officers that ‘fit the bill’ so well Sgt Cooper almost stopped to search them.
Phase three is a preventative approach.
Officers have recruited new PCSOs and are looking at some of the harder-hit streets, issuing crime prevention advice and speaking with residents.
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