A TEENAGER who “showed remorse” for stealing number plates from vehicles has been ordered to complete unpaid work. 

The man, 19 and from Wareham, faced questions from police officers when he attended an interview following the thefts from his town. 

Last month, 25 number plates were stolen or damaged from vehicles in the Northport Drive area. 

A spokesman from Purbeck police said: “An investigation was carried out and it was ascertained that this was an isolated incident and there were no links to any wider criminal networks.  

“The man showed remorse for his actions and received a conditional caution and immediate justice sanction in which he had to complete 14-hours of unpaid work. 

“Dorset Police take reports of such offences very seriously and fully recognise the inconvenience and disruption this can cause.  

“Your local neighbourhood policing team is committed to pursuing criminality, robustly bringing offenders to justice and protecting members of our communities from harm.” 

The AA said: “If the number plates are stolen from your car you should report it to the police straight away – you might start receiving parking fines, speeding fines or worse.  

“Number plate theft is a big problem and rates have more than doubled in the last five years. 

“If you see another car with a number plate missing or with different plates front and back you can report it on 101, the police non-emergency number.”