Hampshire burglar first in county to be caught through GPS tracker

A burglar fitted with a GPS tracker after he came out of prison has been jailed again after police used the device to establish his movements.

Paul Collins, 31, from Fritham Road, Southampton, appeared at Southampton Crown Court today (Tuesday, 11 October), having pleaded guilty earlier this month to burglary. 

Collins broke into a flat in West End Road, Southampton.

The occupant was not in at the time but used a ring doorbell camera with motion sensors inside her property to monitor her flat.

At 5am that day, she checked the camera via her phone, and saw that a man was inside her lounge, rifling through a chest of drawers by her TV.

She called police and made her way back home, where she discovered her Nintendo Switch console had been stolen, as well has her Soda Stream machine and a bottle of Baileys.

Access had been gained via a window.

It's thought that Paul is the first burglar in Hampshire to be convicted using GPS tracking data.

It follows the government's announcement in March 2021 that burglars, thieves and robbers are made to wear GPS tags to track their movements after their release from prison as part of a ‘world-first scheme’ to crack down on neighbourhood criminals.

Hampshire Constabulary’s burglary investigation team, Operation Hawk, identified Collins as the suspect because he was wearing a Global Positioning System (GPS) tag fitted in March, when he was released from prison for another residential burglary in Southampton.

The data from the tag showed he was at the victim’s address at the time the crime was committed.

For this latest burglary, Collins was jailed for 16 months and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge.

Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Southey said: “The public should be reassured, and criminals should know, that we take burglaries of victim’s homes very seriously.

"Burglary is one of the most intrusive and impactful crimes and in recognition of this we have committed to attending every report of someone’s home being burgled, whilst also making the best use of our forensic, investigation and intelligence teams who are determined to catch those responsible so that they can be prosecuted for their crimes.

“The introduction of this Ministry of Justice led tagging scheme is another positive step forward in reducing burglary offences and giving the police clear opportunities to quickly catch those that do re-offend.”                          

Hampshire Police have advised people to report a burglary to them on 101 or via their website.