Car crime down by a quarter in Wolverhampton as 200 suspects charged
Almost £2 million worth of stolen vehicles have been recovered as part of a crackdown on car thefts in Wolverhampton.
Vehicle crime dropped by nearly 500 offences, or 24 per cent, in the past year after police focused resources on the issue.
And around 200 suspects have been charged over the last 12 months, according to West Midlands Police.
An initiative was set up last autumn to investigate the amount of cars and other vehicles being broken into or stolen in the city.
Officers used the information to establish patterns and identify suspects before they could strike again.
And, working alongside the force's criminal investigation department, there have been scores of arrests.
Fiestas, camper vans and an £80,000 Mercedes were all among vehicles to have been located, with cars and parts being identified to elsewhere in the country and Europe.
In January alone a total of 196 vehicles were stolen.
Ch Insp Hasson Shigdar, from Woverhampton Police, said: "We fully understand the anger and frustration that is caused by being a victim of vehicle theft. It can have a real impact on people's daily lives.
"There is also further crimes linked to stolen cars such as chop shops or being used by crooks to commit further offences.
"With this in mind we made a committed effort to tackle the issue across Wolverhampton. We now have a team armed with sophisticated intelligence and means we can stop any organised activity early.
"Despite significantly cutting vehicle thefts we will continue with our relentless approach to protecting the public, reducing victims and catching offenders."
Anyone with information on suspects are asked to contact the force via live chat at west-midlands.police.uk, or via 101.
Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
