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laser team pretended PIIII II ERN P CRIME
Page 10
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to be VOSA officials
By Joanne Bourke
LANCASHIRE POLICE are investigating a hijacking in which a lorry driver was threatened with a stun gun by men impersonating VOSA staff.
At lpm on Monday 9 March, a driver for Tyseley, Birmingham-based TM Transport was pulled over near Junction 31a of the southbound M6 at Fulwood, Preston, by thieves posing as VOSA inspectors.
He was threatened with what they said was a Taser gun and forced to drive to Walsall, West Midlands, where his trailer and load of copper wire were stolen. He was then forced to drive into Gloucestershire where the thieves tied him up and left him in his cab.
"Each pallet is worth 0,000,says detective sergeant John Crichton of Preston CID. "On some days the man carries up to 24 pallets picked up from Huyton in Merseyside, hut on this day he had considerably less."
The first suspect is described as white. stocky, in his mid to late 30s, and wearing a high-vis jacket, blue shirt, black trousers and black gloves. A second man wearing similar clothes is described as shorter at 5ft 2in. A third man drove the thieves' dark blue Peugeot getaway car.
A VOSA spokeswoman says impersonation incidents are rare: "We would not proceed with an inspection until people are sure they are dealing with an official representative?'
The driver has returned to work and the company is using two drivers on longer journeys.
Anyone with information on the theft should contact the police on 0845 125 3545.