A teenage hairdresser has uncovered footage of two men ransacking a van in broad daylight, after police closed the case. Savannah Whittaker, 18, shared the CCTV images on Facebook, leading to the identification of the suspects and an apology from one of their mothers.
The theft took place outside MJ's Premier Store in Royton, Oldham, where Savannah works part-time for her father Justin. The victim, 68-year-old Peter Holt, had parked his blue Volvo outside and was inside the shop for about five minutes when the thieves struck. They stole more than £500 worth of equipment, including a planer, jigsaw and cordless drill, loading two heavy toolboxes into their vehicle.
Despite the clear footage, which shows three cars driving past while the two teenagers try the van's unlocked back door, police sent Peter a letter stating there were 'no further lines of enquiry' and closed the case. Savannah, however, had already taken matters into her own hands, posting the footage on Facebook where it gained over 85,000 views. She received messages naming one of the suspects, and the other suspect's mother contacted her to apologise, saying he had not been brought up like that.
Her father Justin criticised the police response, saying they had not even collected the CCTV footage a week after the incident was reported. It was only after a media enquiry to Greater Manchester Police that officers visited the store to pick up the evidence and receive the names of the suspects. It is understood the vehicle used in the theft had stolen plates.
Savannah said she felt proud of the community coming together to identify the thieves. She said: "When I heard Peter got that letter from police saying no further action would be taken I felt a bit like 'how the hell do they not have enough evidence, their faces are on the CCTV'." Justin added: "Thieves seem to be confident even with CCTV everywhere they'll get away with it because the police don't have the resources to chase it up."
