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Breakthrough to beat lead thieves
A FORENSIC science breakthrough could help police in the fight against metal thefts from churches in the Daventry area.
Dr John Bond, a forensic science manager for Northamptonshire Police and a fellow of the University of Leicester, has found a way to match recovered stolen lead from the church it was taken from.
Dr Bond, said: “We do believe now we actually have a system where we could trace a load of lead from a suspect to the church we believe it was stolen from.”
Police officers believe the reason why there are so many cases of metal theft from churches, electricity substations and telecommunication companies is because of the rising cost of the material.
Derek Williams, a spokesman for the Peterborough Diocese including the Daventry area, said: “We welcome all efforts to reduce metal thefts from churches. Such thefts are a drain on local community resources as churches receive no state funding for their maintenance.”
Previous incidents in the Daventry district where lead has been stolen include sheets of the metal from St Mary’s Church in Woodford Halse in April last year, and two houses in Kilsby in October 2007.
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Weather for Daventry
Thursday 17 May 2012
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