crime

Police are investigating a burglary at a property on Mill Street in Sidmouth which occurred between 9.30pm on Monday 21 August and 8am on Tuesday 22 August 2017.

The offender has entered the property through a window and taken several items before exiting through the same window.

DC Steve Harrington from Honiton CID said: “We are seeking witnesses to a burglary and appealing to anyone who may have been offered the following items: Bose loud speakers with serial number 060637PU3U20U34A2, a black Samsung Galaxy S6 Mobile phone serial number 35431/08/524367/0. Other items...

Police are warning the public to be on the lookout following a number of distraction thefts in supermarket carparks around Exeter.

During the past three weeks, police have received reports of seven incidents of distraction thefts in the area, all matching the same description; so far around £1,000 in cash has been stolen from victims.

PCSO Ben Turner, said: “There is an emerging crime series occurring in carparks across Exeter, we have incidents which have taken place in the carparks at The Range Carpark on Water Lane, an incident at Southernay east car park near the church...

Devon & Cornwall and Dorset Police have become the first police forces in the UK to launch a fully operational drone unit.

The latest in drone technology has been trialled in the respective forces since November 2015 and such has been their benefit, an operational drone unit has been created; the first of its kind in the UK.

Chief Superintendent Jim Nye, Commander for the Alliance Operations Department, said: “This is an historic step for the Alliance and policing in the UK; Drone capability is a cutting edge way to support operational policing across Devon, Cornwall...

Young people are falling foul of scams which target them through their social media accounts, The Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service has warned.

Many young people have been conned into providing personal data or into responding to modelling and talent scams via pop-ups on social media accounts like Instagram and Facebook.

Internet-savvy 18-24 year-olds don’t consider themselves as the group most likely to be duped - and that makes them more vulnerable.

The Devon, Somerset and Torbay Trading Standards Service is combating the online menace with...

Detectives have launched a murder investigation following the suspicious death of a man in Honiton yesterday [6 June].

Police and ambulance crews were called at around 3.40pm after concerns were raised for the welfare of the man at a premises in Dowell Street.

On arrival they found the man, who is yet to be identified, deceased at the scene. He had sustained a number of stab wounds.

A 55-year-old man was located nearby and has been arrested on suspicion of murder. He has been taken into custody in Exeter awaiting questioning.

Detectives from the Major Crime...

Police are appealing for witnesses after a substantial amount of gold jewellery was taken during a burglary at an address in Budleigh Salterton.

Offenders entered the home on Armytage Road in Budleigh Salterton on Monday 1 May 2017 between 11.30am and 4pm.

They managed to escape with a large amount of Indian wedding gold jewellery.

Police are investigating the burglary and would like to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard any suspicious activity in the area at the time of the offence.

Anyone with information is asked to email 101@dc.police.uk or...

Simon Hall is well-known as a TV news correspondent, but Simon has an alter-ego who uses his own position as a television reporter to turn detective and solve some extraordinary crimes.

‘I never answer the question of whether my books are autobiographical,' Simon teases. ‘It's much safer that way.'

For 20 years, Simon has covered some of the biggest stories Britain has seen as the BBC's crime correspondent for the South West of England. Now his life is reflected in fiction with the publication of his thriller, Justice Mirror.

Simon's alter ego is Dan Groves, a...

Householders are urged to be on their guard following reports that fraudsters, falsely claiming to be trading standards officers, are operating in Devon and Somerset.

Devon and Somerset Trading Standards Service says that the fraudsters have been knocking on doors and 'advising' residents that they can obtain a refund and compensation following poor work carried out previously.

The resident is then told by the officer that for the claim to proceed £1000 must be paid into a specific bank account, the details of which are provided by the fake officer.

This is a type...

Vulnerable women at risk of committing crime are to benefit from tailored, targeted support to break the cycle of reoffending and turn their lives around for good – backed by funding totalling over £800,000, Justice Minister Dr Phillip Lee has today announced.

Exeter City Council has been successful in winning £61,694 of funding, and is one of the successful bidders in six regions across the country – Devon, Lancashire, Shropshire, Norfolk, Sussex and Surrey. They will use the cash boost to increase the support on offer to female offenders both behind bars and in the community,...

Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez has pledged an extra £200,000 funding to increase CCTV capacity across the force area and encourage the development of monitoring ‘hubs’. The initiative is highlighted in her newly published Police and Crime plan. “High quality and interconnected CCTV plays a major role in helping to keep people safe,” said Ms Hernandez “It is an invaluable resource for the police to investigate crime and enable emergency services to find and help vulnerable people. “I want to support local authorities to better monitor their existing...