FIVE men who are suspected of participating in a series of cable thefts nationally have been arrested after police tracked two vehicles which had been seen under suspicious circumstances.

During the evening of December 16, officers from Devon and Cornwall Police’s Bodmin police station were called to reports of two vehicles which were seen in the College Green area of the town, near to Bodmin College.

After it was reported to police. Officers then attended the scene and managed to establish that the vehicles were linked with a series of ‘high value’ thefts of cables across the country.

Using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, Devon and Cornwall Police were able to stop the vehicles near Okehampton, where a quantity of cable which is believed to have been stolen was located, leading to the arrest of the five men.

Police said that one male of the five arrested was someone of interest to another police force who wanted him on offences of a similar nature, adding that the male in question was also disqualified from driving.

Both vehicles were then seized by Devon and Cornwall Police owing to the fact neither vehicle was insured to be driven on the road.

A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: “On Tuesday, December 16, two vehicles were seen under suspicious circumstances in the College Green area of Bodmin. This was promptly reported to police who attended and established the vehicles were linked with high value cable thefts nationally.

“The vehicles were ultimately stopped near Okehampton following ANPR work - suspected stolen cable was located and all five males were arrested. One male in particular was already wanted by another force for offences of a similar nature and was also disqualified from driving. Both vehicles were seized due to being uninsured.”