In the know

A man from London has been sentenced for stealing two cats from homes in Chertsey, after being caught in the act on video doorbell footage. Carlos Cyrus, 30, dob 01/10/1994, of Flowers Close in London, was sentenced to 5 months in prison at Guildford Crown Court after pleading guilty to the two thefts back in July of this year. Our investigation first began after we received a report that on the evening of 17 July, a man driving a Volkswagen Golf had been seen on video doorbell and by an eyewitness to forcibly take a cat from the street on Abbey Road in Chertsey and ‘fling’ it into the car. We received a second report on 29 July which detailed the same car being seen on Stepgates Close in Chertsey and the driver again picking a cat up from the street and putting it in his car. Neighbours then saw him driving erratically with the cat inside. Thanks to extensive CCTV and video doorbell enquiries, officers were quickly able to identify the suspect and the next day on 30 July, Cyrus was arrested on suspicion of theft. He was then charged and remanded into custody. During interview he answered ‘no comment’ to all questions and sadly, despite extensive enquiries and searches of several addresses, the two cats have sadly not been found. Inspector Chris Thoday of the Northern Investigation Team said; “The two stolen cats, Tilly and Maisie, were much loved members of their families and the callous theft and refusal by Cyrus to tell us where they are, demonstrates his blatant disregard for animals and their owners. “We know that these incidents had a real impact on the local community, and we hope that our swift action in apprehending Cyrus reassures you that we take the thefts of animals seriously and will do what we can to pursue offenders. “We would also like to thank everyone in the local community who came forward with information around this case, no matter how small it might have seemed. This sentencing would not have been possible without your help.”

Three children from Surrey have won Silver at the Police Public Bravery Awards. Siblings George and Olivia, were at home with their Grandmother and baby brother one evening in December when a fire started in their kitchen due to a faulty appliance. After hearing the fire alarm sound, George immediately ran upstairs to get his brother from the cot, covering his face to prevent smoke inhalation. Meanwhile, Olivia closed the door to the kitchen to contain the flames and prevent the smoke spreading. They all managed to flee the house, and the actions that George and Olivia took that evening undoubtedly saved the life of their brother.

Maddy (aged 7), found her mother unconscious, after wandering into her room unable to sleep and was unable to wake her up. Recognising that she wasn’t breathing normally, Maddy used the emergency function on her Mums phone to call for help. The operator put Maddy through to us and she clearly explained what was happening. This excellent explanation triggered an emergency response from both ourselves and the Ambulance service. Demonstrating calmness despite her concern, Maddy’s fantastic intuition ultimately protected the life of her Mum.

Their bravery was commended through an evening of celebrations hosted in Sheffield, with the awards presented by the Chair of the NPCC, Chief Constable Gavin Stephens, supported by Surrey Police Superintendent Adam Smith. Congratulations to George, Olivia and Maddy, their outstanding courage deserves to be recognised, and they are worthy winners of the Silver Police Public Bravery Awards.

The criminal and misconduct investigation into the events which led to a cow being injured in Staines-upon-Thames in early hours of 15 June, has now concluded. After a thorough investigation, the Sussex Police Senior Investigating Officer from the Surrey Police and Sussex Police Major Crime Team determined that while footage of the incident was distressing in nature, those involved in the incident acted within their duties, and the tactics adopted were both lawful and necessary to prevent harm to the public and property. The investigation did highlight several issues in relation to how the police respond to a loose livestock incident and, as a Force, we want to do what we can to reduce the possibility of any event like this happening again, not just in Surrey but anywhere in the country. We will therefore be sharing this learning with Forces across the UK.

The cow, Beau Lucy, is well and remains at the farm with her herd.

A man has been jailed after leaving a motorcyclist with serious injuries following a collision in Stanwell. Ardit Shehi, 35 (07/07/1988), of Hillingdon Road, Uxbridge, was charged and remanded for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving a motor vehicle otherwise than in accordance with a licence, and using a motor vehicle on a road without third party insurance.

This International Volunteer Day, we are celebrating all the amazing people who volunteer across Surrey Police. Police Support Volunteer Alice is a wonderful member of our Chaplaincy Team, who recently received her long service award for 30 years helping to provide a wellbeing service for our officers, staff and volunteers. If you would like to find out more about our volunteering opportunities, see In the community | Surrey Police

Whilst you are out and about at events across Surrey in the festive period, you may see some armed police presence. We appreciate that this can be an alarming sight, which is why we wanted to take the time to reassure you that these are part of routine foot patrols to deter serious criminality and not in response to any particular threat. Our officers are more than happy to speak to you when out and about if you have any worries or concerns, and our main objective is to keep the communities of Surrey safe.