Police step up operation to fight town centre car crime

A specialist team of officers using surveillance equip-ment focused on hotspots to drive the crooks off the streets.

Detectives want Operation Hatch to cut car crime in the town centre, which has risen by more than a third in the past three months.

The campaign, launched at the end of last year, has already started producing results.

Officers caught four prolific thieves using decoy cars, rigged with cameras.

And dozens of police squads armed with lists of known car criminals are picking up offenders.

Chief Inspector Sue Coates said: "Our high-visibility patrols will be looking at anyone and everyone who is out on the street and paying particular attention to our known criminals and people acting suspiciously around cars.

"Our aim is to disrupt and arrest to cut down on this crime, which hits a lot of people hard."

As part of the operation, the team could use tracking devices, mobile phones and radios to trap thieves who tend to pick on easy targets, grabbing car stereos, mobile phones and laptops.

Detective Inspector Stan Drummond, of Middlesbrough CID, said: "We have flooded the hotspot areas and are getting fewer reports of car crime there, but now the criminals are being displaced and we are getting reports elsewhere."

"Every car an offender breaks into is potentially rigged with cameras, so they never know when they will be caught on tape," said Det Insp Drummond.

Dozens of police officers, police community support officers and street wardens are deployed daily as part of the operation.

Chief Insp Coates said: "Drivers can help us a great deal by not leaving their possessions on view in the car, by parking in well-lit areas and by fitting a good quality security device or immobiliser.

"A smashed window or a wrecked dashboard can put a vehicle out of action for days and leave owners with a large bill."

Auto crime rose 37 per cent between October and December compared to the same period the previous year.