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£100k stolen goods returned to owners after Wolverhampton crackdown

A haul of stolen property worth up to £100,000 has been returned to their rightful owners by police.

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Mobile phones, laptops, jewellery and power tools were included in the goods recovered during an 18 month crackdown in Wolverhampton codenamed Operation Magpie.

This led to over 400 stolen items being found in the drive to trace and return property taken in burglaries and thefts across the city.

Around three quarters of these have already been returned to their rightful owners using serial numbers and public viewing events. Meanwhile those caught in possession of stolen goods have been prosecuted.

More of the swag discovered in raids in August last year

The successes came as DC Gary Thompson, the operation's co-ordinator, established close working relationships with businesses able to help in the fight against crime by keeping a look out for specific property and alerting police when suspicious goods are offered for sale.

The police team also gathered intelligence while monitoring online auction and classified ad sites in the search for stolen items.

Lawnmowers, power tools and fishing tackle were among 100 items taken during thefts and burglaries were unearthed in raids on address in Gordon Place, Millfields, and Prince Charles Road, Bradley.

Robert Ashfield, aged 48, and 21-year-old Daniel Rowton, who were known to each other and live in the roads, both admitted handling stolen goods and were given suspended prison sentences and unpaid work.

Ashfield, from Gordon Place, received a 10-month suspended term with 140 hours of unpaid work while Rowton of Prince Charles Road, got five months and 80 hours.

Dc Thompson said: "We have had some real success in managing to track down stolen property and then return it to the rightful owner.

"These are expensive goods which can cost hundreds of pounds to replace and can sometimes be items which have real sentimental value such as jewellery.

"Developing a strong link with businesses in the area has been a massive benefit in helping us to tackle the issue. I have even been approached by other forces to advise them on setting up their own version of Operation Magpie and they spent time in Wolverhampton seeing how it works."

He added: "We actively target handlers of stolen goods to break the chain of burglaries and robberies. Thieves commit such crimes if there are people out there who are happy to receive stolen property, some of which is the sold on.

"We would encourage people to make sure their property is secure and also registered on the Immobilise Property Register. This can help identify items which are stolen and ensure they can be returned once recovered."

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