More than thirty-arrests made as officers target vehicle thefts

More than thirty-arrests have been made by local officers during a clamp down on vehicle crime.

Since the launch of our new policing model in June, the force has been working closely with partners to prioritise community concerns.

As a result, the force introduced a dedicated operation called Op Bormus which continues to target thieves across the county.

This has seen teams from neighbourhood policing working closely with West Midlands Police, Central Motorway Police Group (CMPG) and the force’s Roads Policing Unit (RPU) to proactively target this criminality with strategic patrols, leaflet drops and engagement sessions in hotspot areas, intelligence sharing and reassurance visits to victims.

As a result, police have co-ordinated the arrests of over 30 suspects in the last three-months.

Since October, the force has recovered at-least 20 stolen vehicles across Staffordshire.

Inspector Louise Booker, of the South Staffordshire local policing team (LPT), said: “Our new localised operating model has given officers more time to investigate crime, better resources at their disposal and therefore a bigger opportunity to catch thieves.

“We’ve been working closely with our partners in the Community Safety Partnership to make sure this criminality is robustly targeted on a localised scale.

“A major part of our role as neighbourhood officers is to be visible and accessible members of the community, who can better understand the needs and concerns of the public and implement measures like this to action them accordingly.”

The operation comes after an increase in overall reports of vehicle thefts in the last 12 months, compared to the previous 12. Analysis of these increases have not found any specific causes and have shown they are concurrent with national upward trends experienced across the UK.

Whilst neighbourhood crime figures for Staffordshire remain 16.7 per cent below the national baseline, local officers are continuing to drive initiatives similar to Op Bormus and ensure the force continues to act on community priorities.

Part of the operation will see us dropping crime prevention leaflets across South Staffordshire, Cannock, Lichfield and Tamworth. We will also be holding engagement sessions within local policing teams.

These leaflets will also be sent out digitally on Smart Alert and shared with Parish Councils.

Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime, Ben Adams said: “The theft of a car can cause significant disruption for individuals and families, while having a van full of tools or equipment stolen can be devastating, particularly for smaller businesses.

“It’s not just the time and inconvenience it takes to sort out an insurance claim – this kind of crime directly impacts on people’s livelihoods, and I welcome Staffordshire Police’s focus on tackling an issue that concerns many of our communities.”

For more information on how to protect your vehicle from crime, visit: Preventing car and vehicle theft | Crime Prevention | Staffordshire Police