Parents urged to pass on safety advice after attempted bicycle robbery in Ironville

A 12 year old boy was riding near to the Premier Store at around 8pm on Wednesday 22 April when he was approached by two people allegedly who demanded he handed over his bike. He refused and cycled home quickly.

The offenders are described as being male, around 16 or 17 years old. They had been wearing hooded tops with the hoods up, and coverings over their faces.

PC Lauren Shurki, of the local Safer Neighbourhood policing team, said: “We don’t want to cause alarm as this type of incident doesn’t happen often, but it is important that people are aware and remain vigilant.

“We would also encourage people to report any suspicious activity or information about crime to us.”

Parents and teenagers should be aware of the following advice to help them stay safe:

• Be aware of your surroundings and who is around. Don’t be distracted by items such as mobile phones, which could also be attractive to thieves.
• Under current Coronavirus government advice it is safer, if possible, to be with other members of your household. In normal circumstances it would be acceptable to stay with friends when out and about.
• Stay around busier, well lit, areas, avoiding any short cuts or secluded areas.
• Security mark your bike and register it at bikeregister.com, a national, police approved database which can help us trace and find your bike if it is stolen and recovered.

If you have any information, or if you noticed anything suspicious, please get in touch on one of the following non-emergency contact methods.

• Facebook – send us a private message to /DerbyshireConstabulary
• Twitter – direct message our contact centre on @DerPolContact
• Website – complete the online contact form derbyshire.police.uk/Contact-Us.
• Phone – call us on 101.

You can also call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Please note in the event of an emergency you should always call 999.