CCTV inquires carried out and Newark neighbourhood policing team’s late-night patrols stepped up after series of burglaries at town centre businesses
Police officers have stepped up patrols and visits to businesses following a series of recent break-ins.
The Newark neighbourhood policing team is in the process of investigating multiple reports of town centre stores being burgled — with windows smashed, and cash, electronics and other items stolen by intruders.
Two shops had their doors and windows smashed by intruders after being targeted during the early hours of Thursday (December 5).
A hammer was reportedly used to gain access to a phone shop in Middlegate during the first incident, which happened around 3.40am.
Three people managed to get inside the store, before fleeing empty-handed on a white moped after being disturbed.
A separate break-in — not believed to be linked to the Middlegate break-in — then took place around 5.35am, after a lone intruder used a crowbar to smash the door of a furniture shop in Lombard Street.
As with the previous incident, nothing was ultimately stolen from the store.
The December 5 burglaries followed two other commercial break-ins over the previous fortnight, during which doors or windows were again smashed to gain entry.
Dry Clean Plus, on Bargate, had cash stolen and a charity box swiped from the counter, at some point between 3pm on November 20 and 8am on November 21.
At the time, business owner Antony Pollard described the incident as “upsetting” and “heartless”.
An intruder then ransacked the café in The Governor’s House, on Stodman Street, between midnight and 2am on December 1 — and stole the till, electronics and numerous food items following an untidy search.
After she woke the next day to discover security cameras had been set off by a window being smashed at her café, Tanith Wesson, owner of Cherizena Coffee, said: “You do feel a bit violated when someone just comes in uninvited and ransacks your stuff.”
Investigating officers have conducted extensive CCTV inquiries to try and trace whoever was responsible for the two incidents — which officers again don't believe to be linked.
The neighbourhood policing team has also visited businesses to offer them reassurance and crime prevention advice, as well as having stepped up late night patrols, and these efforts will continue in the wake of Thursday morning’s break-ins.
Inspector Charlotte Ellam, District Commander for Newark and Sherwood, said: “We completely appreciate just how upsetting and demoralising it must feel to see your business broken into and items stolen from within.
“Nobody has the right to damage someone else’s livelihood in this way, which unfortunately has been the case with each of these four separate incidents.
“I want to stress just how seriously we’re taking each of these recent reports, with our officers conducting extensive amounts of CCTV inquiries to try and locate those responsible.
“In addition to visiting shops across the town centre to provide some reassurance and offer crime prevention advice, we have also looked to provide a more visible policing presence on the streets.
“Extra late night and early hour patrols in and around Newark have been taking place to try and deter and spot offending, and this will continue.
“Inquiries are still ongoing into each of these burglaries, so I’d appeal to anyone who has any information but hasn’t shared it with us yet to please contact the police, so that we can take further action.”
Information can be left anonymously with Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or with the police via 101, quoting the incident numbers below:
• 125 of November 21 for the Bargate incident
• 166 of December 1 for the Stodman Street incident
• 46 of December 5 for the Middlegate incident
• 59 of December 5 for the Lombard Street incident
