Jake Massey
Police have released video of a thief mooning at witnesses as he robbed tools from a van in broad daylight. Watch here:
In the CCTV footage - recorded on Fred Lee Grove, Coventry, at around 11:00am on 1 August - the man can be seen sticking his bare arse out of the window of a vehicle and slapping his cheeks as an accomplice takes tools from a van.
He then proceeds to stick two middle fingers out of the car window while the accomplice arrogantly flexes his bicep.
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West Midlands Police said the criminals smashed a window to gain access to the van, stealing £600 worth of tools.
The force believes the men are part of a wider group operating in the city, with more than 40 tradespeople across Coventry targeted in a matter of weeks.
Another CCTV recording shows two men opening a white van in Torrington Avenue two days earlier before fleeing the scene, while further footage shows a larger group armed with crowbars stealing from a van in Broad Lane, before driving away in a black Audi.
The force is now trawling CCTV, patrolling hot-spots and making enquiries into the vehicles used during the offences - which have all been on cloned plates.
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Detective Inspector Stew Lewis, of Coventry Police, said they highlighted the 'cheek' of the mooning crook in the hope of drawing attention to the criminal gang and tracking down the culprits.
He said: "We've had a bit of fun with the video in the hope it will be widely shared and generate information about who might be involved. But these offences are no laughing matter.
"These brazen thieves have stolen tools worth thousands of pounds; tradespeople have been left out of pocket and badly inconvenienced.
"They've also brandished crowbars and metal batons during some of the thefts and we're concerned they may be prepared to use violence.
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"We need to find these thieves. If you think you recognise them, suspect who may be involved, or have been offered tools for sale in suspicious circumstances, then please get in touch."
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.