Officers see reduction in vehicle crime after focused positive action

Officers in South Staffordshire have seen a marked decrease in the theft of catalytic converters following months of targeted action.

Since January 2021, the neighbourhood policing team has seen the number of recorded thefts reduce by almost 50 percent since February this year.

In February, the team saw a total of nine reported catalytic converter thefts.

This was followed by an apparent spike in such crimes in April and May.

Since then, team has seen the number of reported thefts decrease from 17 in April 2021 to 15 in May, with only seven reported for June and 4 for July.

Overall, the area had the highest recorded number of such thefts in comparison to other local policing teams; 62, with the second highest area having 31.

However, so far, the team has only had one reported instance this week.

Speaking of the latest figures, Chief Inspector Dave Wain, of South Staffordshire NPT, said: "This reduction can to some extent can be attributed to the proactivity of local officers.

"This includes the arrests of known criminals and the collaborative working with the local council to assist those at risk put in place crime prevention measures.

"There is still work to be done, however, the outlook is promising as we continue to work together to reduce the theft of catalytic converters in South Staffordshire."