POLICE arrested three people in Redditch on Thursday, March 27 after following a tracking app on an iPad which was stolen in a street robbery.

The iPad was stolen from a man in his early 20s who was assaulted while walking near the bus route in Church Hill Way at about 2.25pm. The victim was headbutted and punched in the face by a white male who ran from the scene.

An app on the iPad enabled detectives to track its movements and following a chase on foot by officers in the Ipsley Street and Lodge Road area three males were arrested on suspicion of robbery.

They were later questioned at Kidderminster Police Station. The stolen iPad has been recovered.

Detective Sergeant Justin Taylor of North Worcestershire CID said: “The fact that we were able to find the iPad so quickly shows the value of having tracker apps on devices of this nature and was certainly a big help during our operation this afternoon.

"We would encourage people to download these apps on to their smartphones and tablets.”

Witnesses and anyone else with information should call detectives at Redditch Police Station quoting incident reference 380-S-270314. Details can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.