Two charged in connection with £20k bike thefts in Kent following combined police operation

Two men have been charged and a woman arrested following a police investigation into 50 incidents of bike theft across the Medway and Swale areas of Kent during the past 18 months.

The arrests, made on Thursday at addresses in Sheerness and Minster-on-Sea are the result of a combined operation by Kent Police and British Transport Police.

The stolen bicycles, said to be worth a combined total of £20,000, were taken from locations such as railway stations, leisure centres and supermarkets.

William Holden, aged 32 and of Granville Road, Sheerness, and 27-year-old Melvern Silcott, of Lapwing Close, Minster, were both charged with conspiracy to steal and were due to appear at Medway Magistrates’ Court yesterday.

Kent Police say that a 36-year-old woman from Minster has been arrested on suspicion of conspiring to steal, and has been bailed until Friday, 17 October.

Detective Sergeant Ian Sanderson said: “Kent Police takes incidents of theft seriously and recognises the impact these types of offences have on residents, businesses and communities.

“Members of the public can take simple steps to not only reduce the risk of having property stolen but also to have items returned if taken, such as having their bicycles security-marked or engraved.”

You can find road.cc’s bicycle security tips here.

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