Three men arrested in Hemel after broad daylight car theft

Three males were arrested in Hemel Hempstead in connection to the theft of a vehicle in Chorleywood yesterday afternoon (17 April).

Hertfordshire Constabulary states it was able to locate the vehicle within 15 minutes of when the car was first reported missing.

At around 11.30am yesterday a witness reported a suspicious truck in the Whitelands Avenue area of Chorleywood to the police.

They said they recognised the vehicle from a social media post relating to vehicle crime.

Shortly after 12pm, police received a separate call, reporting that a number of men had been seen loading a silver Volkswagen Polo, that had been parked outside of a property in Quickley Lane, onto a trailer that matched the description of the truck.

Before officers arrived on the scene the truck was driven away.

Within minutes, police located the vehicle in Breakspear Way. The vehicle was halted by the police and subsequently three men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and taken into custody.

Detective Sergeant Darren Machin, said: “Thanks to the vigilant members of the public who made calls to us, we were able to quickly identify and locate the vehicle, allowing us to make a number of arrests less than 15 minutes after being alerted to the theft of the car.

“We would encourage you to always call 999 if you see someone acting suspiciously in the vicinity of your, or any other, vehicle. A crime could potentially be in progress and by calling 999 you are giving us the best possible chance to attend immediately and detain any suspects.”