Three arrested in Drayton as Hampshire police seize knife at scene of suspected theft attempt

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary officers initially tried to stop the vehicle carrying the trio after it was seen driving without lights. The incident took place in Hoylake Road, Drayton on the evening of Sunday, January 14. The suspects were arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking, possession of a bladed article, possession of a controlled substance and going equipped to steal. A "combat style" knife, bolt cutters and a crow bar were seized. A force spokesperson said: "PC’s Snell and Kirby were this evening conducting high visibility patrols of our known crime hot spot areas, when they were alerted to a vehicle driving without any lights on. Despite their best efforts to alert the driver, they did not take the hint to light up….so we done it for them. The vehicle drove away from PC’s Kirby and Snell as they approached to speak to them, but thanks to the assistance of a very handy chain linked fence, their efforts were thwarted. I am pleased to report that none of the occupants within the vehicle sustained any serious injuries.

"All three persons within the vehicle were arrested on suspicion of aggravated vehicle taking and taken into police custody. A subsequent search of the vehicle revealed x2 pairs of bolt croppers, a crowbar and a combat style knife. Further arrests were made for possession of these articles whilst in police custody. The suspects of this offence have travelled from outside of Hampshire, in order to commit crime in your area.

"Crimes such as burglary and theft shatter people’s lives, leaving victim’s traumatised. As your local Neighbourhood Policing Team, we will not stand for such offences being committed on our patch and will continue to do all we can to target offenders and bring them to justice."

The three suspects - a 24 year-old man, a 24 year-old woman and a 22 year-old woman - have all been released on conditional bail until Monday, April 15. You can report a crime to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary here.