Thief hid from second thief for five hours

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of theft of metal from the old Tiverton District Hospital in Bampton Street, Tiverton. A member of the public dialled 999 to report sounds coming from the site.

Around 10 officers, supported by a police dog and the Force helicopter, contained the area before moving in to make the arrests. In a bizarre twist it appears that neither thief knew that the other was there and prior to police arrival one of the males hid in ducting for five hours thinking that the other thief was the police searching for him.



It is unclear at this time if others were involved and enquiries are continuing. Inspector Andy Oliver from the Force Control Room said: "Thanks to a tip off from a member of the public who heard the males we were quickly able to contain the area and make the arrests. The Force helicopter was invaluable as one of the males was on the rooftop and so we were able to track his movements allowing officers to locate and arrest him.

"The other male was located by the police dog who tracked him to the ducting. The site is quite dangerous and with the price of metal being high this shows the risks some people are prepared to take." The arrested males were a 30-year-old male from the Crediton area and a 19-year-old male from the Cullompton area.