Northampton teen gets his stolen bike back after it was snatched weeks ago in Duston

A stolen bicycle has been returned to its grateful 15-year-old owner after it was stolen in Duston last month.

The theft took place on August 3 at around 2pm when Daniel Vaughan's bike was stolen from outside the front of a sports centre in Duston by an unknown male. Staff from the centre attempted to chase the thief but, despite their best efforts, he got away and Daniel's bike was seemingly lost for good.

However, in a turn of events, enquiries made by police community support officer, Andrew Emberton led him to the St James area of Northampton where Daniel's bike was found.

The bike was handed back to him with a brand new D-Lock and advice to get it registered on Bike Register so that it will be easier to track down if it is ever stolen again.

Dave Stimpson, from the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This is one of the best feelings in policing – being able to help people and reunite them with possessions they thought they had lost forever.

“It was great to get Daniel’s bike back to him and also provide him with a new D-Lock and some crime prevention advice.

“All of this came about by some great work by PCSO Andy Emberton who demonstrates all the time why it is so important to have people like him on the ground, gathering information and intelligence, and being a true link into our communities.”

“Always lock your bike, keep a record of the frame number and other identifying features, and get your bike marked at one of our Bike Marking Events. If it is stolen, it’s easier for us to return it to you.”

A similar crime happened last month when a bike thief was tackled to the ground by police after he used bolt croppers to steal a bike from Northampton town centre. The thief was caught on CCTV and the bike's owner had registered his bike on Bike Register meaning that officers could track it before promptly returning it to him.

You can register your bicycle at www.bikeregister.com to protect it from theft.