Man charged after delivery driver robberies in Wirral

A man has been charged after the robbery of parcels from two delivery vans in Liscard on Saturday 2 December.
 
We were called just after 9.05am to a report three men targeted the van after it was parked on Parkfield Drive as the driver carried out a delivery.
 
The men damaged the door of the van in order to gain access, stealing a number of parcels and making off in a black Ford Focus car.
 
A short time later, at 9.15am, a similar incident was reported on Wallacre Road where three men again got out of a black Ford Focus.
 
One of the men threatened the driver, demanding he open the van and asked for expensive parcels before putting them in the car.
 
The Ford Focus was then driven away in the direction of Wallasey Village.
 
A 21-year-old man from Bedford was later arrested on suspicion of robbery. He has been taken into custody to be interviewed.

Joseph Smith, 21, of Church Lane, Bedford was arrested and later charged with two robberies, dangerous driving, and driving with no insurance. He was remanded in custody to appear at Liverpool Magistrates Court on Saturday 9 December, where he was further remanded to appear again on 5 January.

Detective Inspector Emma Kerrigan added: “We have launched this year’s Operation Shepherd, an extensive force-wide operation involving a wide variety of teams, each with their own area of expertise, and they all play a part in keeping our communities safe over the festive period.
 
“A key element of Operation Shepherd is our efforts to prevent crime more likely to happen at the time of year, including the targeting of delivery vans and homes as people prepare for Christmas.

“We’ve working with online retailers and delivery companies to prevent and deter would-be thieves from stealing packages whether it is from delivery vans or doorsteps. For example, placing trackers in random packages before they even get to the doorstep - as the tracked packages are identical to the non-tracked ones, there’s no way for potential thieves to be sure if they’re inadvertently taking us home with them." 
 
If you have any information, CCTV footage or dashcam footage relating to the targeting of delivery drivers, DM Merseyside Police on X via @MerPolCC, call 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always call 999.