Two arrested after stolen car halted by stinger

Two men have been arrested after we stung a stolen car in Lichfield this morning (Monday 19 December).

At 3.45am, patrolling officers spotted a Saab 9-3 on Uttoxeter Road in Tean. They ran the car through some checks and confirmed it had been recently stolen.

We tried to get the car to pull over but the driver failed to stop. We followed it into the Lichfield area and put a stinger device on Lichfield Road – resulting in the car being immobilised.

A 22-year-old man, of no-fixed-address, was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, drug driving, driving whilst disqualified and possession of a class B drug. Another man, aged 18, of no-fixed-address, was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and possession of a class B drug.

Both remain in custody while inquiries continue.

It brings the total number of arrests for theft of motor vehicle in the last two days to five. Proactive officers tracked a stolen Peugeot van in the Hanley area on Sunday (18 December). They brought it to a stop and arrested three men on suspicion of theft of motor vehicle.

Detective Inspector Pete Cooke, from CID, said: “Officers across all ten of the local policing teams (LPT) in Staffordshire have been stepping up their efforts to target vehicle crime on a robust scale.

“We recently appointed a team of officers who specifically target this criminality as part of the force’s priority to action community concerns. We’ve been patrolling hotspot areas, sharing intelligence with partners and proactively targeting those responsible so they can be brought to justice.

“We’re seeing a lot of positive results recently and we are working hard to ensure they continue to be achieved.”

To read more on our work in tackling vehicle crime, visit: New dedicated team appointed to tackle vehicle crime | Staffordshire Police