Police criticised over lack of response to garage raid in Doncaster '“ despite owner catching crook red-handed

The owner of a Doncaster garage has criticised South Yorkshire Police over the lack of response to a raid, where he caught the culprit red-handed.
A thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, DoncasterA thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, Doncaster
A thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, Doncaster

Rodney Broad, aged 60, was alerted to a break-in at his garage in Tickhill in the early hours of Sunday and caught a thief ransacking his business premises.

APPEAL: Driver's desperate plea for help to find £15,500 Audi stolen from Sheffield home He found the crook filling a bag with £6,000 worth of cigarettes before jumping out of a window to escape after being confronted.

A thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, DoncasterA thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, Doncaster
A thief was caught red-handed stealing cigarettes from a garage in Tickhill, Doncaster
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But Mr Broad, who has run Tickhill Garage for 35 years, chased the offender and managed to wrestle the bag of cigarettes out of his hands on the forecourt before the raider fled the scene in a getaway car.

POLICE: No charges over gunpoint robbery at Sheffield post office Despite a neighbour dialling 999 to report the raid in the immediate aftermath, Mr Broad has not yet spoken to a police officer - over 30 hours later.

He has made two follow-up calls to South Yorkshire Police and has instructed the force today that he intends to make an official complaint.

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Mr Broad, who has CCTV footage of the raid, the registration number of the getaway car, the loot bag and a crow bar left at the scene, said he is concerned at the lack of response.

'My neighbour rang 999 but was told that because the offender had left the premises it was not an emergency and to ring 101 instead, but it took 90 minutes to get through,' he said.

'Since then, despite me making two more phone calls, I have not seen or heard from a police or a scenes of crime officer.

'I have CCTV, the registration number of the getaway car and a van which was following it, the bag I wrestled from him and a crow bar, but there just seems to be no interest in the case.

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'You hear about police cuts, and this is proof of how it is affecting people '“ we are becoming a lawless society.'

He added: 'There was a post office ram raided nearby on the same night, just over into Nottinghamshire, and there were officers there straight away, but we have had absolutely nothing. You never know, it could have been linked.

'We want better policing. I ran to the garage barefoot, I grappled with the offender, I have evidence to hand over, yet nobody seems interested.

'I have ran this business for 35 years and it is hard enough to make a living these days without someone trying to take your stock. 

'We want this taken seriously to stop whoever was involved coming back or doing it somewhere else.'

South Yorkshire Police has been approached for a response.

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