Five Arrests In £250k Burglary Inquiry

Police officers investigating a series of burglaries in which around £250,000 of property was stolen have arrested five people.

During the operation, a total of six search warrants were executed at addresses in Southampton, Ringwood and Dorset:

· Woodcote Road, Southampton

· Tatwin Crescent, Southampton

· Witts Hill, Southampton

· Vine Road, Southampton

· Southampton Road, Ringwood

· Fitzpain Road, West Parley, Ferndown

Five men, aged 31, 29, 27, 26 and 22, were detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit burglary.

The operation is being led by the Hampshire Major Investigation Team and is focused on a series of 30 burglaries committed in Hampshire, Sussex and Dorset, between May 1 and October 26, 2012.

In the raids, burglars targeted cigarettes and high value electrical goods, with the total value of the goods stolen estimated at around £250,000.

All those arrested are currently in custody at police stations in Hampshire where they will be interviewed by detectives.

Three other men were arrested in connection with the same investigation on October 26 last year, in Dorset.

All three were charged with a number of separate counts of conspiracy to commit burglaries and are currently on remand to appear for trial on April 15, 2013, at a venue to be confirmed.