Eight men have been arrested as part of a police operation dedicated to tackling tool theft.
West Yorkshire Police launched Operation Dressland in Leeds to tackle an increase in the organised theft of power tools and equipment from vans. So far, eight men have been arrested and three have been charged.
The operation is being led by the Leeds District Intelligence Unit, and, as well as tackling the theft, has been focusing on linked criminality such as the handling of stolen goods.
A series of warrants have been executed throughout the operation, leading to the recovery of more than 200 items of tools and equipment. Some of these have been returned to their owners.
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Two men, Nathan Furnisse, aged 30, of Broadlea View, Bramley, and Michael Thompson, aged 36, of Fairfield Hill, Bramley, were arrested in November and both have now been charged with conspiracy to commit theft from motor vehicles between July 23 and October 24 last year. The pair will appear for trial at Leeds Crown Court on May 22.
Another man, Joseph James, aged 39, of Rycroft Gardens, Bramley, was arrested in December and has been charged with theft from motor vehicle in relation to an offence in Alwoodley in October. He will appear before court on July 5.
Five other men have been arrested and they currently remain under investigation.
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Due to the large number of recovered tools, West Yorkshire Police have not managed to return several items, but officers are eager to trace the owners. They have released a number of images of the items with identifying marks officers hope people will recognise.
If you do recognise any of the times, you should contact the investigation team by email at ld.dressland@westyorkshire.police.uk. You should quote the image reference number, provide your details and any details of the theft such as crime reference numbers or the location, date and time of the offence.
The force said: “While the team is continuing to progress the investigation, they are encouraging tradespeople to keep a record of the serial numbers of power tools, mark their property, both overtly and with forensic solutions, and consider using other security measures such as GPS trackers that can be hidden in boxes. “
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