Police appeal for information following break-in at Bassetlaw toy shop

Officers were called to Jurassic Toys, in Bridegate, Retford, at around 7.10am on Saturday (March 18) following reports of a burglary at the store overnight.

An offender entered the shop by throwing a brick through the door window and stole items from shelves as well as a quantity of cash from the till.

Officers are studying CCTV footage and also want to speak to anyone with information or dash-cam footage which could help with their investigation.

Inspector Hayley Crawford, district commander for Bassetlaw, said: “We know the impact break-ins like this have on our local businesses so we are working hard to find out who is responsible.

“We want Retford town centre to continue to be a vibrant place for people to visit and will not tolerate incidents like this.

“This is a busy location and we want to speak to anyone who has spotted anything unusual, or any individuals behaving suspiciously, overnight on Friday 17 to Saturday 18 March.

“Burglary can have a serious impact on businesses, both financially, and emotionally for the hard-working staff who are impacted by the offence. No one should have to come into work to discover their place of work has been broken into.”

Joe Sentance, business engagement lead for North Notts BID (Business Improvement District), said: "Through North Notts BID’s business crime reduction partnership (NNBCRP) we are encouraging businesses to take appropriate steps to reduce the risk of their premises becoming the target for business crime.

"We need businesses to ensure that CCTV and alarm systems are checked regularly to ensure that they are working and being used to the maximum benefit.

"CCTV systems should always show clear views of doorways, windows and emergency exits as well as every area of the business premises. Care should also be taken to ensure that decorations or signage hung from ceilings aren’t obscuring views.

"To avoid the risk of opportunist theft, we urge that any valuables kept at premises are away from view, that tills are emptied every evening and charity tins are stored securely.

Anyone with any information about the break-in at Jurassic Toys is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 179 of March 18, 2023, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.