Portsmouth tradesmen blasts police as 'disgraceful' after £2,000 worth of tools are stolen from van - but force fails to investigate despite CCTV of incident

Multi-tradesmen Les Underwood’s livelihood was thrown into jeopardy after his cordless drills, sanders and cutters were taken from his work van along with his plumbing and electrical equipment outside his Kilmiston Close home in Buckland on February 2.

But the 41-year-old, whose insurance only covered him for £500 worth of the tools, thought he was in luck after a neighbour’s CCTV captured two young male suspects –including a suspect wearing a bright pink balaclava. But he was left ‘gutted’ when police failed to even look at the CCTV.

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Les said: ‘The two lads walk past and then come back a few minutes later and lean down with a big steel bar and open the side door within 30 seconds. They emptied everything out.

‘I reported it to police and said it was on CCTV with one of them wearing a pink balaclava – which I’m sure you don’t see too many of – but they never came out or spoke to me. They then emailed to say no further action would be taken.

‘I’m gutted. They did not even look at the CCTV. It’s disgraceful. They are happy to let crimes go on. It’s not the first time…my son was beaten up recently and they have done nothing about that too.’

Fortunately Les is back in work now after a friend loaned him £2,500 for new tools, while another mate let him borrow some items.

An email sent to Les from police said: ‘I have assessed the details of the report and I’m sorry to inform you that I am not able to pass this matter to a dedicated investigator on this occasion. This means the information has been recorded but no further police action will take place.

‘This is not a decision I have taken lightly and I appreciate it is likely to be disappointing to you, however, Hampshire Constabulary need to ensure our resources are prioritised on matters of harm and vulnerability.

‘Unfortunately this matter will not be investigated further, as under current guidance this does not meet the threshold for further investigation, as the incident is measured against a number of various factors including risk, threat, harm, use of police resources and proportionality.’

The message added: ‘At this time we are unlikely to be able to investigate this incident to a standard where the evidence will reach the requirement of the Crown Prosecution Service for a successful prosecution.’

A police spokeswoman said: ‘It was reported that sometime overnight a van was broken into on Kilmiston Close and a number of tools were taken. Following an initial review the incident has currently been filed pending further lines of enquiry becoming available.

‘The local neighbourhood policing team covering this area have been made aware and the incident will be investigated should any new information come to light.’