A teenager has been charged with trying to steal a vehicle and assaulting an emergency worker in a West Devon village.

Police have reported that a 17-year-old has been charged with attempted theft of a motor vehicle and assaulting an emergency worker following an increase in reports of vehicles being interfered with in Bere Alston.

The teenager has been remanded in police custody to appear in magistrates court today, Tuesday, February 17.

There had been reports of others involved, but these have been eliminated from police enquiries.

The individual will not be returning to the area in the future says West Devon neighbourhood policing Sergeant Tom Ottley.

He added: “As local policing sergeant I am aware that recent events in the village have caused a significant concern amongst the local community.

“I would like to reassure residents that we identified others that were initially suspected of also being involved. We can confirm that our enquiries have satisfied that the two further males in question have been eliminated from our enquiries.”

Sgt Ottley said speculation on social media has not been helpful to police investigating the alleged crimes.

He said social media reports could be ‘misleading’ and harm their work and future legal proceedings: “In future I would appeal to the public to contact police directly if they have information to assist enquiries or have concerns they wish to discuss.

“Prejudice of our investigations through misinformation can lead to police being unable to provide justice for victims and less able to keep our communities safe. We thank you for your cooperation and understanding.”