A PICK-UP truck stolen a month ago has been found by police – just days after they started their investigation.
It wasn’t until Hogan Brothers contacted the Redditch Standard that officers swung into action, despite the family run business having CCTV footage of the break-in and theft.
Senior partner Kevin Hogan said apologetic officers had blamed a clerical error for the delay – they would always come out immediately if they had been aware there was CCTV evidence.
However the theft has cost the company dear.
The Arthur Street company’s £31,000 pick-up truck, complete with personalised numberplate – H13 ROS – had been resprayed and gutted by thieves stripping it out for parts.
“I’d like to thank the Redditch Standard for actually getting something done about all this,” said Kevin.
“After a battle with the insurance company they were finally going to pay out when the police told me they’d found the stolen truck,” said Kevin.
“We’d also just bought a new pick-up.”
Kevin said police had traced the truck to Derbyshire to a company which was already under investigation by officers.
The thieves who targeted their business had spent 25 minutes cutting into the firm’s compound.
“It wasn’t until the write-up in the Standard that the police knew there was CCTV footage,” he said.
“If they’d have known that they could have sent out an alert through all the speed cameras which could have traced it.
“As it was they knew nothing about it for a month.”
Hogan Brothers have been in business in Redditch for 32 years, specialising as a car and vehicle servicing centre offering both maintenance and repairs.
