Stealing and dumping moped 'a senseless crime'

A woman whose moped was stolen and dumped in a river has called for more to be done to deter people from crime.

Jody Vaughan, from Bourne, Lincolnshire, said she had been left feeling "really angry" about the "senseless" theft that happened in the early hours of 19 June.

The moped was found dumped and damaged beyond repair in the Bourne Eau, at Wellhead Park, on Sunday.

Lincolnshire Police said it had investigated the theft and took every report of crime seriously.

Ms Vaughan, who works in the NHS and used the moped to travel to work, said the theft had reinforced a feeling that anti-social behaviour was prevalent in the area.

Comments on Facebook suggested that the moped had been seen at the weekend with three riders on it.

"To have it stolen and ruined for no reason at all, except for someone's pleasure or a laugh... it just seems so pointless," Ms Vaughan said.

"It feels like there's very little reason not to commit crime because there's no deterrent."

According to Police.uk, there were 259 reports of anti-social behaviour in the Bourne and Billingborough area between May 2023 and April this year.

A spokesperson for Lincolnshire Police said the force took "every crime reported to us seriously".

Officers investigated the theft, but after pursuing "proportionate lines of inquiry" they decided to not to continue the investigation.

The victim was informed of the decision and police "explained the reasons why", the spokesperson added.

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