A break in at Okehampton Recycling Centre, shoplifting at Sourton garage and more feature in this week’s #newsfromtheblues police page.

POLICE are appealing for witnesses following a break in and theft of property at Okehampton Recycling Centre in the early hours of the morning on June 22.

Between 1.45am and 3.30am offenders forced their way into the recycling centre and the site office and stole property.

From CCTV enquiries there were a number of people who were walking around the area as well as delivery drivers in and out of the industrial estate during the time of the incident.

The police are appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious to contact DC Hannah Northcott, quoting log number 109/22062017 on 101.

• SEVERAL incidents of shoplifting have taken place in a number of shops in Okehampton in the the last week.

From Saturday, June 10 until Monday, June 19 there have been seven accounts of reported shoplifting in a number of the town’s stores.

Shopping totalling £80 was stolen from Waitrose, including alcohol, steaks and beef. Alcohol and other food items have also been stolen from Lidl, Co-op and McColls. A police spokesperson said that each case was under investigation and in some of these incidences the suspects are known. 

‘If anyone witness shoplifting, they should notify the staff of that particular shop as they would then be able to contact the police. As a member of the public, do not approach the offenders as you don’t know how they might react. It is better to notify the staff or call the police.’

• POLICE are also interested in tracing two men in connection to a shoplifting incident at the Shell Station in Sourton at 1pm on Saturday, June 17. Police said that two men filled up a red Ford Focus with fuel and then went into the shop where they selected a number of items and left without paying.

The first is described as a white male, early 20s, slim build, 5ft 10ins, short blonde hair, and was wearing a light purple and dark grey T-shirt, blue jeans and adidas trainers. The second male was described as early to mid 20s, slim build, 5ft 11ins, black cropped hair, was not clean shaven, and was wearing a black hat, a grey adidas tracksuit and grey trainers. Anyone with information is asked to contact the police, quoting CR/48634/17.

• ON Sunday, June 18 in the early evening an off duty British Transport police officer saw a van parked suspiciously under the overbridge at Sourton on the A30. The police officer stopped to see what was going on and saw the suspect graffitiing the wall. As a result of catching the offender in the act of criminal damage, the items were seized off the offender.

The police are currently following up enquiries with the intention of dealing with the suspect at a later stage. If anyone has any incidents of graffiti in the area, please contact police on 101 and quote CR/49512/17.

• POLICE were called to the Elements Festival at Jacobstowe in the evening of Saturday, June 17 where security staff had detained a female who was in possession of a large amount of suspected controlled drugs. Police attended and as a result of enquiries arrested a female and took her to custody, where she was interviewed by detectives from the Okehampton CID the following morning. She was released from custody and further enquiries were carried out.