Derbyshire Police are trying to track down the identity of the male in the image below, concerning a string of thefts at Chesterfield Royal Hospital.
Hospital staff and members of the public who park their cars in the hospital grounds are coming back to their vehicles only to find that their catalytic converters have been stolen.
A catalytic converter is a device incorporated in the exhaust system of a motor vehicle, containing a catalyst for converting pollutant gases into less harmful ones.
Catalytic converters contain expensive metals such as platinum and palladium, which is the main reason why thieves have been increasingly targeted the devices.
Do you recognise this male?
Victims can face hefty bills as prices for replacing catalytic converters can vary significantly depending on the type of car, engine and cat involved, but you can expect to pay hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds to have a new one fitted, especially if it’s an integral part of the exhaust manifold.
A spokesperson for Derbyshire Police said:
‘Five cars have been targeted at car parks on the hospital site in the last three weeks, all during daylight hours.
‘On one occasion, a Toyota Prius was targeted sometime between 8 am and noon on Wednesday, August 21.
‘We appreciate this CCTV image is low-quality, but we hope it may jog someone’s memory.
‘Anyone with information is asked to contact us, quoting reference number 19000444127 and the name of the officer in the case, PC Ryan Gill’.
