Three men arrested in connection with theft series in Botley and Hedge End

Three men have been arrested in connection with a series of vehicle-related thefts in the Botley, Hedge End and Bursledon areas.

All three were detained by officers at an address in Southampton on Wednesday morning (25 September).

· A 24-year-old man from Southampton was arrested on suspicion of seven thefts from motor vehicle, a theft of motor vehicle and burglary dwelling with intent to steal.
· A 24-year-old man form Southampton was arrested on suspicion of eight thefts from motor vehicle, a theft of motor vehicle, burglary dwelling with intent to steal and possession of a control drug of Class B.
· A 21-year-old man from Fareham was arrested on suspicion of eight thefts from motor vehicle, two thefts of motor vehicle and burglary dwelling with intent to steal.
· All three have since been released on conditional police bail, pending further enquiries. The conditions include curfews, exclusion zones and non-associations.

The arrests follow reported thefts on Kingsman Drive, Lewry Road, Marls Road, Wallace Avenue and Sandy Field Way in Botley, Fosters Copse in Bursledon and Shafford Meadows in Hedge End.

All the incidents were reported between Monday 23 September and Tuesday 24 September.

District Commander, Matt Paling, said: “I fully understand the significant concern that incidents such as these will have caused within the communities affected and beyond.

“I want to assure you that our teams and officers are working extremely hard to progress our investigation into these incidents, as these latest developments should evidence.

“We are determined to bring those responsible to account and our relentless hard work and enquiries will continue to ensure this happens.

“Officers will also be completing reassurance patrols in the areas concerned, so please look out for them on you travels and please come over and have a chat with them if there’s anything you’d like to discuss or ask.

“We’ll be sure to keep you all updated with the latest on our investigation as and when we’re able to.

“If you have any information about any of the incidents described above, including any footage, such as CCTV, doorbell camera or dash cam, please call 101 and quote incident number 44240413704.

“If you have also been a victim of a vehicle-related theft, but have still yet to report this to us, please do so at the earliest opportunity.”