Over 300 pieces of evidence seized following report of attempted robbery in Westerham

Four suspects have been arrested and hundreds of pieces of evidence seized during warrants following a report of an attempted robbery in Westerham.

Shortly before 7.15pm on Friday 14 August 2026, attempts were allegedly made to steal a motorbike which had been parked in Market Square.

Members of the public challenged the offenders, who then reportedly made threats to the motorbike owner before leaving empty handed.

Investigation

An investigation was launched immediately, with officers carrying out a number of search warrants at addresses in Westerham and Croydon on Wednesday 16 September.

Following initial enquiries, which included the extensive review of available CCTV, four suspects were detained.

Subsequent property searches led to the seizure of more than 300 exhibits, including clothing, weapons, mobile phones, suspected stolen property, motorbike parts and suspected cloned number plates.

Arrested

An 18 year old man from Croydon was later arrested on suspicion of robbery and theft, while another 18 year old man from Croydon was arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of an offensive weapon.

Two 16 year old boys from Westerham were also arrested. One was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and possession of cannabis. The other was arrested on suspicion of robbery and possession of cannabis.

They have all since been bailed pending further enquiries.

Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Smith said:

‘This was an excellent example of collaborative working across multiple teams, combining proactive policing, intelligence development and investigative persistence to disrupt serious offending and progress a complex investigation. ‘If you find yourself a victim of vehicle theft, please report crimes to the police in a timely manner so we can obtain evidence swiftly and better understand where and how offending of this nature is happening. This will help us to respond more robustly, reunite more victims with their stolen property and apprehend those responsible. ‘To deter thieves, we continue to encourage bike owners to lock, chain and cover vehicles, keep them in a secure outbuilding and consider using alarm systems with tracking and immobilisation or property markers. ‘To those who have stolen vehicles, or who intend to commit vehicle theft, our message is clear: we remain relentless in our pursuit to bring you to justice.’

Advice

You can find more information about how to keep your bike safe on the Kent Police website: https://www.kent.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/keeping-vehicles-safe/theft-motorcycles-scooters/