Bitterne Leisure Centre theft caught on CCTV (From Daily Echo)

Bitterne Leisure Centre theft caught on CCTV

5:14pm Tuesday 9th March 2010 in

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THEY planned the heist meticulously, thinking they had cleverly done all they could to cover their tracks.

A pair of thieves who broke in to a Hampshire leisure centre struck under the cover of darkness, masking their identity and even remembered to remove the CCTV footage before they left.

But the bungling duo may have slipped up in their bid to evade capture – after throwing the DVD and computer system into bushes as they made their getaway.

For more than seven months since the raid at Bitterne Leisure Centre in Southampton, the thieves have been at large.

But now detectives have a new lead in their hunt for the pair, after a litter picker stumbled upon the discarded disc which shows the pair carrying out the break-in.

The burglary happened shortly after 1am on May 26 last year at the councilrun premises in Dean Road.

After climbing up the outside of the building to force entry, they then switched on the lights before they quickly set about removing the safe from inside.

After just three minutes in the building, they turned out the lights and left – several thousand pounds richer.

Officers have now relaunched the investigation to try to find those responsible.

Detective Constable Tony Welch, leading the investigation, said: “The thieves have attempted to cover their tracks, going as far as to remove the CCTV system and disposing of it.

“Fortunately, that has now been recovered and remarkably, despite the passing of time, still contains the footage of these burglars.

“I would ask anyone who recognises the pair or who may have information about the burglary to come forward.”

Anyone with information about the break-in is asked to contact DC Welch at Bitterne CID on 101 or call the crimestoppers line anonymously on 0800 555 111.