Thaindian News

November 8, 2010 (Pen Men At Work): The Street View service by Google had long faced criticism from all quarters, with many claiming that the tool helped burglars to locate homes that were insecure and were thus likely targets for snooping eyes. But the perception is about to change after the police made use of the same Google service to track down the thief who was photographed hovering around a caravan in Derbyshire. The Street View service image showed a bald man standing beside a green colored 4X4, and it is this car that the Derbyshire police have claimed as the car hired for dragging the caravan of the Soanes family. The caravan was parked on the driveway of the home of the Soanes family in Derbyshire.

It was 11 year old Reuben, the son of the Soanes family who first came across the photograph recorded by the Street View service of Google. It has been reported that the Street View car used by Google had recorded the picture before the crime took place and the Google authorities had released the same picture on the internet. Reuben Soanes came across the picture later and it will serve as an important clue to track down the intruder at the Saones residence.

However police have still not been able to find the man recorded in the photograph. This is because as part of a privacy policy, the number plate of the green car had to be blurred. The police have launched a thorough search of the car and the man in the photograph. The Soanes caravan was stolen last year June.