Car stolen in defrosting theft seized and boy arrested

We have arrested a boy after tracking down a car which had been stolen whilst it was left to defrost in Stoke-on-Trent.

The car was taken from Bentilee on Wednesday morning (17 January) shortly before 7.35am whilst it had been left running to defrost the windows.

An investigation was immediately started to track down the stolen car.

Yesterday evening (Thursday 18 January), it was spotted in the West Midlands area. We sent officers to locate it along with our colleagues from the National Police Air Service.

The car was followed and recovered near to Cannock Railway Station. The driver tried to evade officers but was detained nearby, along with support from the Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) and a police dog.

A 16-year-old boy, from Cannock, has been arrested on suspicion of vehicle theft, driving whilst disqualified and drug driving.

He is being questioned about what happened in custody today (19 January).

Detective Inspector David Rowlands, who is leading on our vehicle theft initiative, said: “Vehicle theft can have a profound impact on people, businesses and livelihoods. We will go after those responsible and work proactively to target thieves across Staffordshire.

“This incident follows a spate of thefts across the county recently where people have been leaving their vehicles to defrost in the mornings. It might seem convenient to do so, but it’s also convenient for opportunists, and we’re urging people not to leave their vehicles unattended when they are defrosting.

“Officers have been out and about talking to people who have been doing this during the cold weather snap. We’re committed to protecting people’s belongings and putting a stop to thieves, but we need people to follow safety advice to make sure they limit the chances of being targeted by thieves.

“We are continuing to work proactively with neighbouring forces and partners to target hotspot locations, gather intelligence and protect the hard-earned belongings of our communities as part of our Operation Bormus initiative.”

To read more about what we’ve been doing, visit: More than 60 arrests made as officers continue vehicle theft clampdown | Staffordshire Police