Are these your tools?

Leicestershire Police invite public to open days this weekend to reunite stolen tools with owners.

More than 300 stolen power tools are going on display in Leicestershire as police attempt to reunite them with their rightful owners.

The items were recovered from addresses in Leicester on Thursday 6th July and officers believe they may have been stolen from within Leicestershire over a considerable amount of time.

Power drills, bolt croppers, generators and jet washers were amongst some of the items recovered. 

Members of the public or tradespeople who have had tools stolen recently will be able to attend a viewing event at police headquarters in Enderby on Saturday 16th September 10am – 4pm and Sunday 17th September between 10am – 3pm.

Potential owners of property can attend the event and must bring with them receipts, a crime number, any relevant documents to prove ownership and identification for themselves e.g. passport or driving licence.

Detective Chief Inspector Chris Baker from the neighbourhood investigations team, said: “We have recovered a substantial amount of tools, most of which we believe were stolen from vans and building sites.

“The tools were recovered on Thursday 6 July so we’d like anyone who has been the victim of tool theft before this date to consider either coming along to the property viewing event or contact us and reclaim their items.

“In the last three months we have seen an increase in the number of thefts from van incidents reported to us, tools have been stolen costing victims thousands of pounds to replace. These incidents have a knock-on effect on people’s livelihoods and we take these crimes extremely seriously.

“We currently have an operation ongoing to educate people on how they can reduce their chances of being a victim, locate those responsible for such crimes and to ensure people report if they have been a victim.

“In July we arrested eight people on suspicion of theft offences, they were released from custody pending further investigation.

“We would ask people think about the security of their valuables and ensure their vehicles are locked and parked in a way which would make access for potential thieves difficult.

“We’d like to stress the importance of keeping vehicles and contents secure, whether you park them at home or in a public place, we’re running a number of initiatives to reduce vehicle crime, including additional officers patrolling hotspots and posting leaflets in public areas, such as local hotels.”

Anyone who wishes to attend the property viewing event is asked to register their interest by completing this form. The event will be held at Leicestershire Police headquarters, St John’s, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 2BX.