Police recover stolen van 24 minutes after it was stolen while defrosting
A van was stolen while the driver left it to defrost - and recovered just 24 minutes later by a specialist police team.
The Vauxhall Vivaro van was stolen while the owner left it defrosting in Codsall at 8.30am on Thursday. The van contained all of his work tools.
Officers from the dedicated vehicle theft team traced the van within 24 minutes and found that it had been abandoned in Church Crescent, Essington, at 8.54am. It was recovered for forensic examination.
Anyone with any information or CCTV footage of the area at the time is asked to get in touch with police on Facebook, Twitter, or by calling 101, quoting incident 108 of 15 December.
Detective Inspector Pete Cooke, of Staffordshire CID, said: “Don’t make it easy for opportunist thieves - they don’t even have to go to the trouble of breaking into your vehicle if you have left it running for them.
"Your insurance company may not pay out if your vehicle is stolen in this way."
He added: “If you need to defrost your vehicle, ensure you stay with it and don't leave it unattended with the keys inside.”
