'Too dangerous' for police to take on bike theft gang because they had an angle grinder, caller claims
30 October 2023, 11:28 | Updated: 31 October 2023, 07:44
A woman who had her bike stolen was told by police it would be ‘too dangerous’ for a lone officer to investigate her case because an angle grinder was used in the theft.
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The LBC caller, Roseanna, from Leatherhead, told Nick Ferrari that a well-meaning member of the public had followed a group of bike thieves to an address but officers refused to attend.
“Three hours later the police came to my house and took a statement. That’s as far as it’s gone.
“Ive been told it’s too dangerous because they were stolen with an angle grinder thy would need more than one police officer to go to the address and they haven’t yet.”
“It happened three weeks ago.”
She explained her bike was stolen from outside her gym, the David Lloyd in Epsom.
“They had CCTV of the people in balaclavas with an angle grinder taking six bikes.”
She explained her carbon mountain bike was taken - but it has not been recovered weeks later, despite a member of the public following the thieves back to the address where the bikes were taken to.
Surrey police told LBC: "The use or sight of an angle grinder would not prevent an officer from attending an address.
"In this case, the report of multiple suspects meant more than one officer should be deployed but due to the demands of other grade 1 and 2 (emergency/urgent) responses happening at that time, this was not possible.
"However, the theft of the three bikes remains a live investigation and officers are continuing their enquiries."
