THIEVES managed to swipe an array of police property from under the noses of unsuspecting officers — including four hub caps from a police car as it was parked in Linden Street,Torrington.

Among the booty swiped by sticky-fingered criminals, was a warrant card and the recording equipment from inside a link-road speed camera, a Freedom of Information Act request has revealed.

Police suspect the speed camera may well have been snatched by a driver who had been caught on film and wanted to evade prosecution.

The thefts range from a police 'go slow' sign, which police suspect was stolen by students to the more brazen theft in 2011 of the hub caps from a police car. Satellite navigation systems were stolen from police vehicles in Barnstaple in 2007 and 2010, while police issue motorbike gloves were also stolen.

And in 2008 the recording equipment from inside the Aller Cross speed camera on the A361, possibly, police suspect, by a motorist who had been caught speeding by it.

A police warrant card was stolen from Marine Parade, Woolacombe, in 2011. However, the identification card has a photo of the owner on it and police claim as a stand alone form of identification it would carry little weight.

PC Paul Jones, from the Barnstaple neighbourhood beat team said: "While it's concerning that something like that could go missing a warrant card isn't something that could be used by someone who isn't a police officer.

"There are a number of additional items that are required to prove identity and on its own it wouldn't be enough to help someone gain entry to premises or anything like that."

And when asked about the range of theft, a police spokesman said: "As with any large organisation that has a huge amount of front line public contact, it is not that unusual to get a theft either on police premises or related to a police officer or member of staff being reported.

"What the figures do not suggest is a large scale theft of items from police officers. What they show is thefts reported that have occurred on police premises, vehicles or from members of the public who have been in a police station.

"The figures also show a large proportion of the reported thefts result in property being recovered. While some of the reports do relate to police property being stolen, this again is no different to any other organisation of the size of Devon and Cornwall Police.

"Every effort is made to secure property in police stations and on a police officer's person, but with so much physical contact with the public, there will inevitably be times when items go missing.

"The public should be reassured that the security of possessions is always at the forefront of the minds of police officers and staff and that these figures have no link with wider theft and burglary figures per se."