WATCH: Man with head torch and crowbar caught trying car door handles thanks to quick-thinking resident
A man was caught trying car door handles while having a bag of items including a head torch and crowbar after a quick-thinking resident alerted police.
A local spotted a man acting suspiciously on his house CCTV in New Road just after 1am on Wednesday 21 May.
After informing police, officers attended the scene and were seen cuffing the man before carrying out checks on him. The resident, who went out to see what was happening, said the male was found with a head torch, screw driver, a crowbar from a lock pick set and lots of coins.
Police searches found nothing on the man, 51, who avoided being arrested - but was slapped with a community resolution for vehicle interference.
The less than impressed resident, who had shown police the CCTV video, said: “He should definitely have been arrested for vehicle interference, attempted theft or going equipped. It’s weird they let him go when he was bang to rights.”
A police spokesperson said: “We were called at 1:17am on Wednesday 21 May to a report of a man acting suspiciously on New Road in Portsmouth. The report stated that the man had been trying the door handles of vehicles in the area.
“Officers searched the 51-year-old man at the scene and nothing was found. The man was subsequently issued with a community resolution.
“There have been no other associated reports of theft from vehicles in the area.”
Community resolutions are handed out for low-level crimes, see more details here: www.hampshire-pcc.gov.uk/funding/community-remedy