Police in Watford are tackling their neighbourhood priorities head-on after two men were arrested, charged and sentenced for stealing bikes in Watford town centre.
Angelo Wright, aged 41, of Fairfolds in Watford, appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ Court, where he pled guilty to two counts of pedal cycle theft, committed in December 2023, failing to answer bail and breaching his previous suspended sentence order.
Wright was previously charged with the pedal cycle thefts before being released on bail. When he failed to appear, he became wanted on warrant but it wasn’t long before officers caught up with him in Watford town centre. As a result, on Wednesday, February 28, where he was handed a 10-month prison sentence.
A second man was arrested, charged and remanded for bicycle theft after eagle-eyed neighbourhood officers arrested him – while he was riding a bike that was confirmed to be stolen – on Sunday, March 3.
Haben Ghebreamlak, aged 34, of no fixed address, appeared at Hatfield Remand Court this morning (Tuesday, March 5) where he was sentenced to 10 weeks imprisonment.
Ghebreamlak was also found to have breached the terms of his Community Protection Warning, which has been escalated to a Community Protection Notice (CPN). If he breaches the terms of the notice, it will lead to arrest.
Inspector Dan Jones, who leads the Watford Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “These court results make positive reading for us, as we’ve been working hard to combat pedal cycle thefts in the town centre after residents told us they were keen for us to focus on this crime type.
“In addition to proactive patrols and arrest enquiries, we’ve also been holding numerous free bike marking events – the most recent being on Saturday, March 2. We have another one planned for Saturday, March 9, between 9am and 10am in Cassiobury Park. There’s no need to book, just bring your bike down and we’ll mark it for you before adding it to the national database.
“Having your bike security marked can help deter thieves as it makes them harder to sell on. It also means bikes can be reunited with their rightful owners more easily should they ever be lost or stolen.”
As part of their crime prevention work, the Neighbourhood Policing Team is currently running a safety survey for those who use a pedal cycle in the town centre. If that’s you, please take a couple of minutes to provide your valuable feedback online (opens in new window).
You can find advice on how to prevent your bicycle being stolen on the Hertfordshire Constabulary website (opens in new window).
You can report information online at herts.police.uk/report, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat at herts.police.uk/contact or call the non-emergency number 101.
Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
Do you have a doorbell cam or CCTV? If so, we would love you to join CCTV Watch so we can contact you if a crime takes place in your street. Sign up to owl.co.uk/herts and select ‘CCTV Watch.’
You can use our community voice platform ‘echo’ to let us know what you think we should be prioritising in your area. Your feedback will help towards shaping our local policing priorities, initiatives and campaigns. Visit bit.ly/priorities-watford and tell us your thoughts.
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