Update following report of concern for safety in Cobham

Chief Superintendent Aimee Ramm, Northern Divisional Commander:

On Wednesday, 26 March two of our officers attended an address in Cobham following report of a concern for safety.

While they were there, a man in his 40s who was present, reported the theft of two iPads.

This led officers to carry out further enquiries at a second address, where a 50-year-old woman from Cobham was questioned about the iPads and denied any knowledge of their whereabouts.

However, a tracking device on the iPads showed that they were at the address. Officers encouraged the woman to return the items and resolve the matter, however the woman did not cooperate and therefore she was arrested on suspicion of theft.

A search was then carried out using post-arrest powers and the iPads were located.

During this time, officers called South-East Coast Ambulance to attend the address following a further concern for safety. While awaiting ambulance, the officers who had originally attended the address were ending their shift, and therefore replaced by two of their colleagues.

The woman was then taken into custody where the necessary procedures were followed, which included a risk assessment, consultation with a healthcare professional, and the taking of fingerprints and custody photos.

There was a three-hour delay between her solicitor being notified and being ready for consultation with their client.

The woman was subsequently released on conditional bail while further enquiries were carried out to establish the ownership of the iPads. The police bail conditions included not speaking to anyone connected to the investigation, including her daughters, while officers carried out their enquiries.

Following these enquiries, officers were able to verify that the iPads belonged to the woman’s children, and that she was entitled to confiscate these items from her own children. The case was therefore closed the following day with no further action being taken and the bail conditions which had been set were then no longer applicable.

Officers did attend the daughter’s school, however this was in relation to the initial concern for safety.