Crime victim from Ossett files complaint against West Yorkshire Police

Sid Baldev resorted to turning detective himself, gathering a raft of evidence on the man he believes stole a phone worth £500 from Mobile Tech in Ossett last week.

Mr Baldev, 44, said: “I just think it’s ridiculous. I’ve done all the leg work for them.

“I’ve got details of what time the guy came into the shop, who was with him, all his details. I just don’t understand.”

The robbery took place last Friday and four days on, Mr Baldev said he was still waiting to give a full statement and for an officer to collect CCTV footage from the shop in Town End.

It prompted him to file a formal complaint against the force due to the slow response.

“Within 24 hours of the incident, I found out where the guy had sold the phone,” Mr Baldev said. “When I rang the again on Saturday, the police said they couldn’t go into the shop because they needed a warrant.”

He added that he now held little hope of recovering the stolen phone.

Chief Inspector Richard Close, of Wakefield District Police, apologised for the force not reaching the standards expected by Mr Baldev.

“When the theft was reported a crime was immediately recorded, the incident was further assessed and the investigation allocated to an officer for further investigation,” he said. “I understand that during this allocation process the victim established further information which led him to a location where he believed his property was being held.”

He said that ideally officers would have gone to the location swiftly, but the call came during a “very busy weekend of demand” including emergency incidents and high risk missing persons cases. It meant the shop had closed for the day by the time officers attended.

“We have maintained close contact with the victim, obtained further evidence and an officer from Wakefield District is making active enquiries,” Chief Insp Close added.