{"id":135798,"date":"2023-12-20T14:53:24","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:53:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/?p=135798"},"modified":"2023-12-20T14:53:24","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:53:24","slug":"ex-inspector-slams-police-for-failing-to-find-his-stolen-50k-caravan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/world-news\/ex-inspector-slams-police-for-failing-to-find-his-stolen-50k-caravan\/","title":{"rendered":"Ex-inspector slams police for failing to find his stolen \u00a350K caravan"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1><span>EXCLUSIVE<\/span> Ex-inspector slams police for failing to find his stolen \u00a350,000 caravan even though he used tracking device to give them its exact location on traveller site<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Derek Maltby served with Avon and Somerset Police for 17 years before retiring<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>A former police inspector has hit out at his former force for failing to retrieve his stolen \u00a350,000 caravan \u2013 despite giving them the exact location from his tracking device of the traveller\u2019s site it had been taken to.<\/p>\n<p>Derek Maltby, who served with Avon and Somerset Police for 17 years before retiring in 1990 reported the theft of his top-of-the-range Coachman Lusso II to his former colleagues along with the address of where to find it.<\/p>\n<p>But the force said they did not have enough officers in the area to follow up on his tip telling him \u2018We might have some a bit later.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby, 67, who now runs his own security consultancy business, said his caravan was stolen from Bristol on November 29 and because of inaction by the police not found until two days later, 180 miles away in North Wales.<\/p>\n<p>He fumed: \u2018It\u2019s absolutely ridiculous, I gave the police all the information they needed to not only get my caravan back quickly but perhaps smash a crime ring.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/11\/79167791-12885279-image-a-8_1703072897377.jpg\" height=\"476\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Former police inspector Derek Maltby had his \u00a350,000 caravan (pictured) stolen<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/11\/79167783-12885279-image-a-9_1703072900480.jpg\" height=\"671\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The 67-year-old slammed the police for not finding it after giving them its exact location<\/p>\n<p>\u2018But they did nothing. I\u2019d given them the exact location \u2013 the address of the travellers\u2019 site \u2013 but radio silence. I could see via the tracker that the caravan was still there.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The 999 operator did not ask me any pertinent information relating to the value of the stolen caravan but for some reason I was asked my ethnicity.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018When I rang again three hours later to inquire what was happening, the operator replied \u201cwe don\u2019t have enough officers in the area at the moment but we might have some a bit later.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby was away working in Derbyshire and could only watch in frustration as his caravan remain parked in the traveller\u2019s site in Avonmouth for 17-hours while nothing was done.<\/p>\n<p>To make matters worse, the thieves moved the vehicle on the next morning, along the M4 and then the M5 motorway networks before stopping briefly at Michaelwood Services in Gloucestershire. Police were dispatched to the scene but arrived too late.<\/p>\n<p>The caravan then made its way to Walsall in the West Midlands where the signal was lost until the following day when it showed up again in Deeside, North Wales.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby dialled 999 again and this time officers recovered the vehicle from just outside another traveller\u2019s site, although none of the thieves were present.<\/p>\n<p>North Wales Police are currently checking the caravan over for DNA samples. They believe it was heading to Ireland.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby said he keeps the caravan on a farm near his home but said the thieves used Oxychlorine to effectively melt away two wheel locks.<\/p>\n<p>It was recovered with \u00a3400 worth of clothing missing and with substantial damage, including some of the electrics being ripped out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/12\/79168895-12885279-image-m-17_1703075575776.jpg\" height=\"868\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The retired officer was able to pinpoint the location of his caravan but the police didn&#8217;t find it<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/11\/79167785-12885279-image-a-10_1703072905520.jpg\" height=\"524\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby pictured middle talking to microphone while serving for Avon and Somerset Police<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/11\/79167793-12885279-image-a-11_1703072908230.jpg\" height=\"476\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>When the caravan was found, Mr Maltby had \u00a3400 worth of clothes and its battery stolen<\/p>\n<p>He said: \u2018The caravan remained on the travellers\u2019 site near Avonmouth Bridge with no police investigation or attendance for 17 hours before it left on the morning of November 30 and once again I gave advice to the police as to its progress along the various motorways.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018A police unit was dispatched to Michaelwood Services after the thieves had stopped there briefly but they\u2019d disappeared by the time the officers arrived.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The tracker stopped working just past Walsall but came back on again on December 1st when the signal was picked up in North Wales.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The thieves had left it parked close to another travellers\u2019 site with a trailer positioned in front of it, ironically to stop anyone stealing it.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Forensics have checked it for fingerprints \u2013 there are none \u2013 but they are still testing for samples of DNA. I had more than \u00a3400 worth of clothes taken and the thieves ripped out the caravan\u2019s battery. There\u2019s a substantial amount of damage.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby joined Avon and Somerset Police in 1973 and had reached the rank of acting inspector when he took early retirement on medical grounds in 1990.<\/p>\n<p>He said he had been contacted by serving and former police officers who had been left dismayed by the lack of action by the force.<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby said: \u2018There was such a good opportunity to arrest the offenders which was missed. Some of our personal possessions are gone and these could have been recovered.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It was such an easy nick but nothing was done and for the time being the offenders are at liberty to keep committing similar acts.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/20\/11\/79167789-12885279-image-a-12_1703072912696.jpg\" height=\"737\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Avon and Somerset Police have apologised for the distress caused to Mr Maltby<\/p>\n<p>\u2018If the priority of the police is to know my ethnicity but not investigate crime of a significant value, what chance the lowly shop owner with theft and the impact on their livelihood?\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Mr Maltby has now made an official complaint against his former force and added: \u2018The Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset, Sarah Crew, should be embarrassed for the service she leads.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Her job is to ensure she runs an efficient and effective police service. Clearly this isn\u2019t the case.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Avon and Somerset Police have apologised and said their investigation into the theft is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>A spokesperson said: \u2018We are sorry for the distress Mr Maltby has suffered following the theft of his caravan from Winford, North Somerset, on Wednesday 29 November.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our response to incidents is determined by the threat, harm and risked posed. Mr Maltby\u2019s report was categorised as a \u201cpriority\u201d but unfortunately could not be resourced at the time.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018He has made a complaint about our initial response, and the circumstances are being reviewed by our Professional Standards Department, so we cannot comment further at this time.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The day after the theft our officers responded to tracker activations on the M5 and at a motorway services but found no trace of the caravan. It was subsequently found by colleagues in North Wales on Friday 01 December.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Our investigation continues to make progress with positive lines of enquiry being followed.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-12885279\/ex-inspector-slams-police-fail-stolen-caravan.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>EXCLUSIVE Ex-inspector slams police for failing to find his stolen \u00a350,000 caravan even though he used tracking device to give&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ex-inspector slams police for failing to find his stolen \u00a350K caravan - bluemull<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bluemull.com\/world-news\/ex-inspector-slams-police-for-failing-to-find-his-stolen-50k-caravan\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ex-inspector slams police for failing to find his stolen \u00a350K caravan - 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