WEST MIDLANDS Police are appealing for help to help reunite this MBE back with its rightful owner.
The MBE award was handed to officers by an offender who is participating in the Crime Free Programme as part of their strict conditions.
After inspecting the award, the police have discovered that it was awarded by King George V, and believe that it is something that may have been passed down through a family generation.
The force said: “We have tried to locate where and when the MBE award was stolen from, but we have been unable to establish those details.
“We are now turning to the public to try and help us reunite this prestigious award back to its rightful ownership.”
The Crime Free Team targets individuals who are engaged in prolific, non-violent burglary offending. The participants are given a deferred sentence and enter an intensive community sentence plan tailored to their individual needs.
As part of the programme, the individual is given the opportunity to admit to previous offending, and they must give back the property that was stolen, and by doing this, we were able to have the MBE handed back.
PC Paul Welch, from the Crime Free Team, said: “This MBE is potentially over 80-years-old, and so we believe that it may have been passed down by whoever actually received the award.
“We have tried to reach out to potential owners and also spoke with St James’ Palace, but we have so far been unable to identify the owner.
“It is a prestigious award, and so we would like to reunite it with the respective owner.”
Anyone with information should contact police via Live Chat on the force’s website, or by calling 101, quoting crime reference number 20/514878/23
