Three men have been arrested near Stone after a police dog sniffed out a stash of stolen metal.
At around 4am this morning (Wednesday 4 July) PC Karen Bloor from Staffordshire Police’s Dog Support Unit was patrolling with general purpose dog Nando, a German Sheperd, when they discovered a number of drain covers hidden in long grass.
The officer was joined by colleagues and after a short area search they detained three menacting suspiciously nearby.
The men, aged 17, 19 and 26, from the Newcastle area, were arrested and taken into police custody where they remain for questioning.
Chief Inspector Paul Trevor, Stafford Borough Local Policing Team Commander, said: “Our officers carry out regular patrols of our rural areas to deter would-be thieves from targeting vulnerable isolated locations.
“These arrests demonstrate that we are out there proactively looking for anyone involved in such activity and by working as a team, utilising specialist resources, we can and will prevent criminal activity.
“Metal theft is an international problem which we are committed to tackling. We regularly run joint operations to target waste carrying vehicles as we will not tolerate unlicensed vehicles operating in the area. By working in partnership with other agencies, and our neighbouring forces, we can significantly reduce metal theft and bring offenders to justice.
“Operation Amalgam displays our determination to address local metal theft problems by targeting thieves and arresting anyone who handles stolen property. We are constantly looking out for our next targets.”
