Reports of a stolen 7ft Christmas Nutcracker was not the usual type of crime our officers expect to receive.
Sadly, for families doing Hereford City Lifeâs Nutcracker Trail, one was stolen outside All Saints Church on Christmas Eve, meaning hundreds of families struggled to complete the popular event.
Mike Truelove, CEO for the Hereford BID and organisation behind Hereford City Life said, âfrom what we understand, it appears that the 7ft Nutcracker was cut from itâs position outside the church and abandoned nearby before two passers-by picked it up and carried it off during the evening of Christmas Eve and eventually loaded it into a vehicle before driving offâ.
âIn the great scheme of things, this was not a serious crime, however, a theft did occur and the Nutcracker damaged, meaning a lot of families enjoying the trail struggled to continue.
âThankfully, most went on to complete the trail which ended at the Tourist Information Centre in St Owen Street. It meant a lot to us to have the item returned and we are enormously thankful to both Herefordshire Councilâs CCTV service and West Mercia Police for diligently locating the missing Nutcracker and returning it – we know how busy these services are, doing vital work to protect the Herefordshire publicâ.
The Nutcracker Trail saw around 1200 people hunt for the statues with happy children receiving a toy for their efforts. Hereford City Life hope to bring this back again for 2023 along with other Christmas attractions for shoppers coming into the city to enjoy.
Sergeant Duncan Reynolds from Hereford Safer Neighbourhood Team said: âFollowing an investigation we were happy that we were able to trace the Nutcracker and return itâs rightful owners.â
