Police appeal after attempted ATM theft
The incident happened in the early hours of Monday (4th) morning.
Lincolnshire Police have launched an appeal for information after an attempted theft of an ATM at a Co-op store in Sleaford.
They were called to the Co-op at London Road, Stump Cross Hill at around 2am on Monday.
The front door of the had been smashed and the top of the ATM had been ripped off, but the cash box had not been successfully taken. There has been extensive damage to the ATM and the building.
The force believe there were three offenders involved, who were wearing balaclavas and gloves.
Detective Chief Inspector Rachael Cox said:
“Local stores are often in the heart of their community, somewhere people will chat to their neighbours, pick up goods, and a place of employment. When they are targeted there is an impact on everyone from the business owners and the staff employed there, to the people living nearby.
“At this point we are keeping an open mind about the people responsible and any links between the break-ins and thefts, and we can’t rule anything out. There are a number of lines of enquiries we are following, but we are still appealing for information about any of the incidents.
“Alongside our investigations into the five recent incidents, we are working closely with the Lincolnshire Co-op to offer crime prevention advice to help mitigate future attempts, and we’re proactively carrying out street patrols in areas we know may be vulnerable. We’d also like to encourage the public to be our eyes and ears and report anything which may seem out of the ordinary. Perhaps you may see someone acting suspiciously by taking photographs of the stores, or driving slowly past on more than one occasion. We’d like to hear about anything of concern, no matter how small you may think it is, as that tiny nugget of information from our communities can often make a case.”