More than 300 stolen vehicles worth £4m recovered in crackdown on vehicle crime

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said 180 arrests were made and 316 stolen vehicles recovered during its first intensification week as part of national policing’s Operation Alliances to tackle serious organised vehicle crime

The stolen vehicles included cars, motorcycles, lorries and scrap vehicles. Various vehicle parts linked to thefts were also recovered.

Arrests were made across the country for vehicle crime-related offences, including burglary and theft of car keys, which the NPCC says “is an increasingly common tactic used by criminals”.

Operation Alliances is delivered by Opal, policing’s national intelligence team for serious organised acquisitive crime, and brought together a number of organisations working in partnership with policing to stem the flow of stolen vehicles leaving the UK and support enforcement action at ports.

The NPCC says vehicle crime is on the increase, with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) recording a 29 per cent increase in vehicles identified at ports in the second quarter of 2024.

There is evidence from Opal’s analysis that vehicle crime forms a large part of serious organised acquisitive crime, presenting a significant risk which damages communities and industry.

Operation Alliances is policing’s targeted approach to tackling this criminality with partners including NaVCIS, the Ports Police, Home Office, Border Force, manufacturers, Europol, Interpol and the National Crime Agency.

Activity took place across nine different ports, acting on intelligence to locate stolen vehicles and parts destined for overseas markets.

Police forces across England and Wales took part in the week, engaging with local communities to offer crime prevention advice and initiatives to support vehicle owners in keeping their vehicles safe, as well as encouraging reporting of thefts.

Forces conducted multiple search warrants, locating and closing down a number of ‘chop shops’, (locations where stolen vehicles are broken down into parts) as well as engaging with scrap metal and motor salvage businesses around enforcement and guidance.

Many seizures were also made of offensive weapons, theft devices, thousands of pounds in cash, suspected stolen tools, suspected stolen plant and agricultural equipment and a large quantity of drugs.

Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims, NPCC lead for vehicle crime, said: “This intensification week has seen policing, local enforcement, partners and the industry coming together in a targeted effort to tackle some of the highest harm offenders in vehicle crime and the results speak for themselves.

“We know that organised crime groups are responsible for a significant proportion of vehicle thefts, whether to export high-end vehicles overseas or to break them up for parts. We also know that stolen vehicles are used in poly-criminality, for example in other areas of acquisitive crime but also drug offending and modern slavery, so tackling these groups can be extremely impactful.

“I’m grateful to all of our partner agencies and organisations who are instrumental in this fight against vehicle crime. The intensification activity this week has supported us in driving intelligence gathering and sharing, as well as our operational work together and I look forward to seeing the results continue.”

Sharon Naughton, head of NaVCIS, said: “The Port of Felixstowe handles more than four million shipping containers per year. The challenge of locating stolen cars in shipping containers can seem like a needle in a haystack. NaVCIS intelligence and analysis helps to make the needle bigger and the haystack smaller when disrupting this type of criminality.

“NaVCIS bridge the gap between policing and industry. The vehicle crime intensification week has been a huge success, particularly at ports, where NaVCIS officers work hard every day of the year to intercept and seize stolen vehicles before they are exported overseas.

“Through our well-established and positive relationships with industry partners and law enforcement colleagues, we proactively investigate this type of serious and organised acquisitive crime to develop intelligence to increase opportunities to bring offenders to justice.

“Our port operations are vital to tackle vehicle crime, deprive criminals of assets and return cars to their rightful owners.”

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Newman-West, head of operations at Opal, which coordinated the national activity, said: “Opal is committed to tackling serious organised acquisitive crime and the team work tirelessly with law enforcement agencies and a host of key partners and industry colleagues within the UK and overseas to enhance our intelligence flows and understanding of key threats.

“We continue to champion and drive multi-agency responses to support collaboration and operational activity, tackling vehicle crime and wider serious organised acquisitive crime threats in partnership. We will do all we can to disrupt this criminality and protect our communities.”