Pair from county arrested over car part thefts

TWO men from Leicestershire have been arrested by police from a neighbouring county investigating a string of catalytic converter thefts.

The two men, aged 29 and 26, were arrested after officers from Nottinghamshire Police exercised a warrant in Bagworth on January 16.

Their arrests and that of a 21-year-old man in Grantham, Lincolnshire, on January 14, followed reports of seven catalytic converter thefts from car parks in Nottingham on November 25 last year.

The three men have subsequently been released under investigation.

All the thefts took place from Nottingham park and ride sites, in Toton Lane, Phoenix Park and The Forest.

Detective Inspector Steve Wragg, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We have made arrests and carried out search warrants in relation to catalytic converter thefts and we are using a range of tactics to tackle this issue.

“Catalytic converters, which convert vehicle exhaust emissions into less toxic gases, are targeted because they contain high value metals.

“Catalytic converter theft can have a big impact on victims as repairs can be costly and time spent without a vehicle can make it difficult for victims to get to work, drop their children off at school and generally go about their daily business.

“It can take offenders only a matter of seconds to remove a catalytic converter which is why we’re urging members of the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to us.”