Hucknall: police inspector says key arrests made in crackdown on spike in car crime

As reported repeatedly by the Dispatch in recent months, there has been a flurry of car break-ins and vehicles being stolen or damaged.

Offences range from car windows being smashed to high-value tech, cash and bank cards being stolen. Videos have been shared on social media of opportunist thieves randomly checking vehicle doors.

Only last month, the Dispatch reported on five vehicles being attached in just NINE hours.

Police responded by increasing patrols and urging vehicle owners to be on their guard.

Now Insp Jon Hewitt has taken to social media to give residents an update.

He said “We (and I know you were) were aware of an increase in theft from motor vehicles in the area recently. We have now arrested and seen suspects go to court and thankfully incidents appear to have decreased dramatically.

"Of course we will stay vigilant in case there is a further upturn and would ask residents to do the same. If you are aware of incidents please make sure they are reported as we are 'data driven' which means we will focus our efforts where we think they are needed most.

“I appreciate residents were concerned they were not seeing officers but I can assure residents Hucknall was one of my priority areas to be patrolled and any reports progressed as quick as we could.

"Sometimes, somewhat frustratingly, I cannot share all our tactics with you for fear the people we are trying to catch will see them. Of course, this may lead to residents thinking there is a lack of action.

"High visibility patrols are great for reassuring the public because you see us but sometimes not so good for catching criminals who similarly can see us and disappear into the darkness on hearing a car in the middle of the night.

"Please rest assured officers were patrolling in plain clothes on foot (quieter!) and in unmarked vehicles whilst we sought offenders. We were also deploying other tactics which I cannot talk to you about for the same reasons as above.

“I hope this gives residents some reassurance that we were working hard to resolve the issue, I appreciate the frustrations when we do not resolve them as quickly as we would all hope, but to get evidence to the standards required to prove beyond all reasonable doubt we have to ensure our investigations meet the standards required.”