A couple, who had their motorhome taken while visiting friends in Derbyshire, have been reunited with it and their pet cat who was trapped inside thanks to the quick work of officers.
The Fiat Swift motorhome had been reported stolen from a house in Lilac Grove, South Normanton just after 7.30pm on Sunday 19 February.
Officers from the force’s Armed Response Unit, along with colleagues from the Roads Policing Unit, and colleagues in South Yorkshire Police, responded and tracked down the vehicle in Sheffield.
The thieves had already changed the motorhomes number plates, but they had failed to spot the family cat hiding in the living area.
The beloved pet, along with the motorhome, was quickly retrieved by our officers and handed back to its owners.
Sergeant Nick Allgood was part of the Armed Response Unit called to help locate the van and the cat: “The owners of the motorhome live in the vehicle so, for them, it was the theft of their house rather than another motorhome.
“The thieves managed to change the number plates on the vehicle but failed to look into the living area inside hence why they didn’t spot the cat, if they had seen the animal, they probably would’ve just dumped it so it’s a good job we got there before they had chance to.
“It was a great job to be involved in and showed brilliant team work not only between ourselves and our Roads Policing Team but also our colleagues north of the border in South Yorkshire and to be able to reunite the cat and the motorhome with the owners just added to the sense of a job well done.”
