Avon and Somerset Police yesterday arrested three men suspected of stripping lead sheets from the roof of the bandstand in Royal Victoria Park.
It followed an alert at around 4am by camera operators working at B&NES Council’s CCTV control room.
They spotted three people on the bandstand roof, and then getting into a Rover car parked in Charlotte Street car park.
Police officers who arrived at the scene within minutes stopped the Rover on the Upper Bristol Road and arrested the three men inside. They seized what is described as a substantial amount of lead and some tools.
The men, two from Bristol aged 31 and 24, and a 25-year-old from Andover in Hampshire, are now in custody at Bath police station where they are being questioned.
Bath Neighbourhood Inspector Steve Mildren said: “I would like to commend the CCTV operators for being so observant and calling the police so promptly. It is a perfect example of how much they help us to combat crime by being the eyes and ears of the community.”
Police in B&NES are playing an active part in the force’s ongoing Operation Relentless on Metal Theft campaign, which launched in September.
Insp Mildren said: “We will continue to use an intrusive approach in dealing with the thieves and handlers who engage in the theft and sale of stolen metal. It has a cost to each and every tax payer who has to pick up the bill for this criminality in some form or another.
“I would urge everyone to contact police if you see metal theft taking place, or are approached by anyone in relation to scrap metal. You can call us on the new 101 number or contact CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Inspector Steve Mildren later confirmed that the lead was shown to be marked by ultraviolet ink as belonging to B&NES Council – evidence that taking security measures to mark property can help police to identify and to recover stolen goods.
