{"id":541134,"date":"2025-11-01T02:47:22","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T02:47:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541134\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T02:47:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T02:47:22","slug":"police-borrow-bikes-to-chase-teenage-shoplifters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/541134\/","title":{"rendered":"Police borrow bikes to chase teenage shoplifters"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was part of a big crackdown on thieves\"PolicePolice in Portishead.(Image: Avon and Somerset Police)<\/p>\n

Police say there were 10 arrests for shoplifting and drug offences<\/a> in the span of five days in North Somerset<\/a>. The arrests, which happened in the towns of Portishead<\/a>, Weston-super-Mare<\/a>, Cleeve and Nailsea<\/a>, were part of an operation which targeted shoplifting and drug supply.<\/p>\n

Between Saturday, October 11, and Wednesday, October 15, 10 arrests were made across multiple incidents attended by Avon and Somerset Police<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Three prolific shoplifters were arrested and charged in Portishead for thefts from multiple stores in the area on October 11. All three were remanded into custody, appeared at North Somerset Magistrates’ Court the following day.<\/p>\n

Jay Bovey, 33, of Portishead, was charged with seven counts of shop theft and received an eight-week prison sentence suspended for nine months.<\/p>\n

Sam Bovey, 37, of Portishead, was charged with five counts of shop theft and received a conditional discharge at court. Jay Bovey and Sam Bovey received Community Protection Notices in custody.<\/p>\n

Matthew Beaton, 31, of no fixed abode, was charged with four counts of shop theft and was bailed for sentencing on November 18.<\/p>\n

Two shoplifters were arrested at Tout’s convenience store, Cleeve, on October 14.<\/p>\n

Sylvia Grezlik, aged 35, of Bishopsworth<\/a>, was arrested and charged with four counts of shop theft and one count of possession of a class A drug. She was remanded into custody before receiving a 10-week suspended prison sentence and a drugs rehabilitation order at Bristol Magistrates\u2019 Court the next day.<\/p>\n

A 54-year-old man was arrested for theft, for which he received a community resolution. The male also failed a drugs wipe and was released under investigation while his blood is analysed in relation to a drug driving charge.<\/p>\n

\"PolicePolice in Weston-super-Mare.(Image: Avon and Somerset Police)<\/p>\n

Officers then responded to an incident at Currys on Marchfield Way, Weston-super-Mare, following a call made from a member of the public on October 15. A spokesperson for the force said: “Six people were witnessed departing in a vehicle with suspected stolen items from the store.<\/p>\n

“The combined efforts of patrol units, neighbourhood policing teams and CCTV operators from North Somerset Council<\/a> led to four arrests a short time later in the village of Uphill. The positive outcome was also thanks to two members of the public who generously leant officers their bicycles to assist with the pursuit.<\/p>\n

“The suspects, aged 18, 17, 17 and 16 respectively, were arrested on suspicion of theft. They have been released on bail while an investigation progresses.”<\/p>\n

In a separate incident, a 45-year-old man was arrested in Nailsea on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis) and was released under investigation.<\/p>\n

Police also said that a quantity of class B and C drugs were found at a property in Locking Road, Weston-super-Mare, where a knife was also seized.<\/p>\n

A suspected XL Bully dog was seized from a property in Weston-super-Mare. The owner has attended a voluntary interview and the dog remains in police kennels.<\/p>\n

Inspector Lee Kerslake said: \u201cShop theft and drug supply are not low-level, victimless crimes. They can have a severe impact on our communities, local businesses and people\u2019s livelihoods.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re prioritising these issues and ensuring the right resources are in place to problem-solve, target offenders and safeguard vulnerable children and adults caught up in crime. We\u2019re also delivering regular uniformed patrols in areas where issues are being reported and working closely with our council partners, including the Community Safety Team, whose work supports ours immeasurably.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease continue to report incidents and your suspicions so we can gather intelligence and take action against those causing harm. By working together, we can make our North Somerset towns safer for residents and retailers alike.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It was part of a big crackdown on thievesPolice in Portishead.(Image: Avon and Somerset Police) Police say there…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":541135,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8818],"tags":[9312,14343,381,748,188,393,4884,26815,956,11157,11945,16,15,11158],"class_list":{"0":"post-541134","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-bristol","8":"tag-avon-and-somerset-constabulary","9":"tag-bishopsworth","10":"tag-bristol","11":"tag-britain","12":"tag-crime","13":"tag-england","14":"tag-great-britain","15":"tag-nailsea","16":"tag-north-somerset","17":"tag-north-somerset-council","18":"tag-portishead","19":"tag-uk","20":"tag-united-kingdom","21":"tag-weston-super-mare"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115472161268040403","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541134"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541134\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}