Two teenagers have been arrested after three mobility scooters were stolen in Malmesbury.
The youths, aged 13 and 15, were taken into custody on suspicion of theft, burglary and criminal damage yesterday evening (Wednesday, 29 September).
Wiltshire Police has confirmed that the stolen scooters were recovered following the arrests.
Sergeant Jamie Ball said: “It’s been a fast-paced investigation and we’ve made two quick arrests and recovered all three stolen scooters.
“The individuals are now in police custody. We will provide an update to the public as soon as possible.”
The arrests follow public briefings on 11 July given by Sergeant Ball and a number of public partners, including local schools, the town council and mayor, after a number of incidents of antisocial behaviour in the town.
During the briefings, Sergeant Ball delivered a strong message to the public saying the local policing team would take a problem-orientated approach and would look to rehabilitate and educate, and not look to criminalise youths unless necessary.
Sergeant Ball continued: “My message was clear: if you work with us, we will do all we can to keep you on the straight and narrow.
“If you fail to work with us, we will be as robust as possible to prevent you from causing further disruption. That approach has worked with some individuals, but not others.
“Over the past two months, we have arrested several individuals in relation to a range of antisocial behaviour offences.
“These investigations remain live and at this moment I can’t go into detail on them. We are now in advanced stages of preparing a file for the Crown Prosecution Service to review.
“We’re hopeful of updating the public further in the next few weeks.”
Neighbourhood Inspector James Brain said: “We understand the effect that the recent spate of anti-social behaviour has had in Malmesbury and these arrests demonstrate that it will not be tolerated.
“There are other investigations which are ongoing and we continue to work incredibly hard to ensure the town is a safe place for all residents.”
