‘Give car crooks more time in jail’
ASENIOR police officer battling a rise in car crime has expressed his frustration at sentences handed to thieves in court.
Darren Dickinson, 32, was jailed for 12 weeks at Stockport Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after admitting three counts of theft from a vehicle.
He had broken into cars in Marple taking a sat-nav, sat-nav charger, tools, sunglasses and fibre optic testing kit together worth £4,400.
The offences, which contributed to a steep rise in car crime last month, were committed while Dickinson was on bail and also serving a conditional discharge for a previous conviction. He was caught after his blood was found in two cars.
Inspector Jim Lockett, from the east area neighbourhood police, said: “It can be frustrating. When we do detain someone and they get a custodial sentence it would be good if they were made to spend a little longer at Her Majesty’s pleasure.
“It can also be frustrating when people spend time in prison, return and re-offend. When that happens then clearly they haven’t learned their lesson.
“But we understand that’s how things are and when someone is released, if they re-offend then we go after them and put them back before the courts.”
Dickinson, from Oldham, smashed windows and stole from cars on Cote Green Lane, Strines Road and Kinder Drive between May 15 and 19.
He was caught after his blood was found in two cars. Officers also found property in his shed.
The borough had seen a steep rise in car crime with 66 broken into in eight days last month.
Thirty-five of these had been in the east neighbourhood area and officers had altered shift patterns to provide additional patrols overnight to battle the thefts.
In the last week the number had fallen to 15, although there were further incidents at Manor Road and Brabyns Brow.
Insp Lockett added: “The arrest of Dickinson will have contributed to that. Because of the spike staff moved their shifts and we had officers out overnight. They were responsible for detaining Dickinson.”
Police released have details also
of another man wanted in connection with car crimes.
Callum Reilly, 26, is sought following thefts from parked vehicles on Linden Grove, Frome Avenue and Cedar Road, in Woodsmoor and Great Moor on May 13 and 14.