| A man suspected of burglaries across the country has been charged with seven offences after his arrest by Surrey Police’s Cross-Border Investigation Team.
34-year-old Peter Sonny Martin O’Halloran – who was listed on Crimestoppers’ Most Wanted website and also featured on Crimewatch – was arrested by Surrey officers at a hotel in Wandsworth, South London yesterday (Monday 9 February).
For nearly two years, O’Halloran had been wanted on recall to prison for breaching release conditions and also for questioning in relation to residential burglaries across southern and central England.
Through Operation Shield, Surrey Police is focusing on targeting cross-border offenders, as nearly half of common crimes in the county, such as burglary and vehicle theft, are committed by people who do not live in Surrey.
In December 2008, Surrey Police’s Cross-Border Investigation Team joined the hunt for O’Halloran, liaising closely with Gloucestershire Constabulary – the lead investigating force – and drawing on the team’s experience working with neighbouring forces to locate and target offenders who travel between counties.
This morning (Tuesday 10 February), O’Halloran appeared at Cheltenham Magistrates Court charged with burglaries in Gloucestershire, Surrey, Suffolk, Oxfordshire and Cambridgeshire, an attempted burglary in Surrey, and a Proceeds of Crime Act offence in Suffolk.
The offences he has been charged with in Surrey are a burglary in Sandown Avenue, Esher on 30 December 2007 and an attempted burglary in Princes Drive, Leatherhead on 28 November 2007.
He was remanded in custody – where he will be questioned further in relation to other suspected offences, including some elsewhere in Surrey – and is scheduled to next appear at Cheltenham Magistrates Court on Friday 13 February.
Acting Detective Inspector Dan Voller, of Surrey Police’s Cross-Border Investigation Team, said: “Criminals pay no regard to county boundaries so we’re equally ready to step outside our borders and target them. To this end, we’ve embedded five intelligence officers in neighbouring forces and, as we’ve shown this week, we’re willing and able to work with forces that are even further afield.
“The arrest and charging of Peter O’Halloran should send a clear message to criminals that they cannot evade the police by moving around the country. Through Operation Shield, we will continue to target travelling offenders who blight our local communities in Surrey and those elsewhere.”
Detective Sergeant Dave Doherty, of Gloucestershire Constabulary, added: "This arrest was an example of the excellent cooperation which exists between police forces, and should serve as further evidence of our ability to work together to investigate cross-border offences as well as our determination to bring suspects to justice."
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