Police‘no-show’ram-raidclaim
A HINCKLEY businessman has blasted police for failing to respond while his unit was being ramraided.
John Moore claims not only did officers fail to turn up to the burglary in progress, but it took them around 12 hours to contact him about the breakin.
A neighbour of Mr Moore’s business said she called police during the raid at 10.30pm on May 6 and then again just after midnight on May 7.
No officers attended until 10.30am the follow- ing day.
However when contacted by The Hinckley Times, the force said there was no record of the 10pm call and that the incident was not reported as an ongoing crime or a ram-raid.
John, aged 71, who runs an event furniture hire firm from the unit at Teal Business Centre on Dodwells Bridge Industrial Estate, said he has been left disgusted by the whole experience.
“It’s just inexcusable”, he added.
“They say that crime has dropped in Leicestershire. Is it any wonder? No-one can be bothered to report any problems.
“After the experience I have witnessed, why should people report incidents when they know they cannot rely on the police attending even a serious crime like burglary.
He said the attackers drove a car through his unit’s security gates before driving into the roller shutter door.
Despite the effort made and the damage done the burglars only got away with a steam cleaner.
It was around 10.30am on Sunday morning that John received a phone call from Leicestershire Police informing him of the attack.
He later learned the owner of a nearby busi- ness had been working late that Saturday, heard the commotion and immediately rang police.
When she left at around midnight and saw the damage done she called again.
John says despite these two alerts no officer was sent out and the failure to react has him riled.
He said: “This meant my unit was left unsecured and as far as the police knew there could have been someone in the unit badly injured.
“When you call police to say there is a ram-raid going on you expect them to actually turn up - that’s what the police are there for surely?
“I’m just totally disgusted.
“The officers I spoke to did say they were understaffed and I sympathise but that doesn’t help me or anyone else when they are being burgled.
“I ask what is really going on, have we got no protection from these thieves who are running amok whenever and wherever they want.”
Luckily for John the theft of the steam cleaner and the damage caused during the raid has not affected his ability to trade.
The roller shutter is temporarily repaired in anticipation of replacement.
A spokesman for Leicestershire Police said there was no trace of a call being logged at 10pm on Saturday May 6 from that location but there was a record of a report made at 12.03am on Sunday May 7.
They added: “It was not a report of a crime in progress. It was a report of hearing, around 20 minutes earlier, a car skidding and loud noise so the incident was listed and worked on accordingly.”