Police in Bradford are hailing their first successful prosecution utilising its decoy ‘capture cars’ after an attempted thief was sentenced to six weeks in jail.
Nathan Shuttleworth, 28, of Girlington, Bradford, was given the custodial sentence after he targeted the capture car when it was parked in the city at the beginning of this month.
When he broke into the car he was sprayed with an invisible liquid, SmartWater, which is specifically designed for detection purposes and which directly linked him to the crime. He was arrested a number of days later and charged with theft from a motor vehicle. He initially appeared at Bradford Magistrates Court on February 7 and was subsequently sentenced to six weeks in prison. This weekend the capture car was again targeted by a suspected thief and as a result another 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged.
He is due to appear at Bradford Magistrates Court on February 29. Several other individuals have also been arrested using the same method and bailed pending further inquiries Commenting on the success, acting Sergeant Alex Artis, of the Bradford South Vehicle Crime Team, said: “This is a great tactic for us, as it means that car criminals are aware of the techno1og but have no way of defending themselves against it.
“Smartwater is virtually impossible tc remove from clothing and skin and can be seen clearly under ultraviolet lighting. “Using the capture cars means police resources can 1 employed elsewhere and we can simply wait for criminals to come to us. “Importantly, it puts the fearof crime back on to those who commit it, as they won’t know if the vehicle they target is a police capture car until it’s too late.” He added: “While we are confident that this tactiê will help in the fight against vehicle crime, we continue to urge the public to keep valuables out of sight. “We leave them on view in capture cars because we know this will lead to a theft, but be warned if you display, you’ll pay” Officers from local Neighbourhood Policing Teams have been patrolling the city centre to hand out stickers to local people. The stickers, which can be dis played in car windows, warn potential thieves that it could be a police capture car.
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