Dozens of vehicles were stopped as part of a crackdown on metal thieves in South Staffordshire.
The checks were carried out on Thursday, September 8 under Operation Amalgam – an initiative by the force and its partners to cut metal and cable thefts, working with the business community.<br><br>The initiative saw numerous vehicles stopped on the A449 at Wombourne. The South Staffordshire Local Policing team worked together with environmental enforcement officers from South Staffordshire Council.<br><br>One driver was caught carrying scrap metal without holding a waste carrying license and several other drivers were warned for licensing issues – all of these matters will be investigated by the council.<br><br>Three vehicles were seized for having no insurance. The drivers received £200 fines and will have to pay £150 plus storage costs to get their vehicles back or they will be scrapped.<br><br>Eleven drivers were issued with fixed penalty notices for not wearing seat belts.<br><br>One driver was reported for driving other than in accordance with their license and will be summoned to court at a later date.<br><br>A further nine fixed penalty tickets were issued for a variety of traffic offences, including having defective tyres and using mobile phones while driving.<br><br>Local Policing Team Commander, Insp Pat Shannaghan, who co-ordinated the operation, said: "Operation Amalgam was launched over two years ago to specifically tackle the problem of metal theft and it is paying dividends.<br><br>"Metal theft is an international problem that can have significant repercussions on the local economy.<br><br>This type of theft has a massive impact on our day-to-day lives and can lead to failure of phone lines to houses and businesses, the collapse of electrical supply to homes, businesses and even hospitals, breaks in supply of gas and water, delays and cancellations on the railway and even the breakdown of traffic lights.<br><br>"Operation Amalgam displays our determination to address local metal theft problems by targeting thieves and arresting anyone who handles stolen property.<br><br>We are constantly looking out for our next targets.<br><br>"We regularly run joint operations to target waste carrying vehicles as we will not tolerate unlicensed vehicles operating in the area.<br><br>By working in partnership with other agencies we can significantly reduce thefts and bring offenders to justice." <br><br>Businesses are encouraged to follow these Operation Amalgam crime prevention tips:<br><br> * review the security of perimeter fencing and gates on a regular basis, checking for holes or weak spots that might allow access to your site. <br> * consider your existing security measures. Do Intruder Alarms, Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) and adequate lighting cover the site? <br> * review the position of skips and storage units. Where possible have secure skips and increase the security around them using cages or compounds. <br> * try and park company vehicles or business vehicles inside premises or in secure compounds overnight. If that is not possible consider how the vehicles are parked. <br> * make your metal as difficult to steal as possible. <br> * mark metal using products such as Smartwater, Red Web grease or Retaina Group for catalytic converters and use high visibility signage to deter thieves. <br> * remove Catalytic converters from long-term storage vehicles. Use signage to state that they are removed from the vehicles.<br><br>And in Manchester, police in Tameside have been targeting metal thieves in a force-wide day of action (Friday, September 23).<br><br>The operation saw police officers visiting nine scrap yards across Tameside for stolen metals and perform roadside stop searches on vehicles suspected of transporting stolen metals. Three vehicles were seized as the drivers did not have the correct insurance certificates. Approximately half a tonne of scrap metal was seized from one vehicle.<br><br>The day of action was part of Operation Alloy, a force-wide initiative to reduce metal thefts and bring offenders to justice and builds on the success of local operations to tackle this growing crime. Officers were joined by the Department for Work and Pensions, Trading Standards, the Environmental Agency and the Licensing Authority.<br><br>The Department for Work and Pensions and housing benefits officers are continuing investigations into 14 people for fraudulently claiming benefits.<br><br>Sergeant Lawrence Dixon from the Tameside Division of Greater Manchester Police said: “Metal theft is not a victimless crime, and although we have seen a 29 per cent reduction in metal theft in the past three months across the borough it is still something we are actively targeting. The day of action was a success and we will continue to act on the information we got today. Another initiative is already being planned for the near future.<br><br>“People can also help us by providing information about suspicious activity either directly to us on 0161 872 5050 or anonymously through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”<br><br>Fourteen scrap metal premises were visited across Rochdale borough on Friday as part of Operation Alloy, an ongoing crackdown on metal theft.<br><br>Two men were arrested, on suspicion of handling stolen metal at one of the yards, and a large quantity of scrap was seized during the day including copper and communications cable.<br><br>Local officers stopped 54 vehicles suspected of transporting stolen metals, and were helped on the day by Tactical Aid and Road Policing Units.<br><br>Staff from utility industries such as telecoms and electricity suppliers were on hand to help officers identify materials that may have been stolen from their networks, HM Revenue and Customs checked vehicles suspected of using red diesel and licensing officers checked motorists had valid vehicle documents.<br><br>Other partners included the Department of Works and Pensions who checked for illegal workers and benefits fraud and the Environment Agency who checked for safe disposal of waste materials.<br><br>In addition, police delivered around 300 crime prevention leaflets to estate agents and premises for letting to protect property from metal thieves, arrested one person on suspicion of possession of cannabis after carrying out search warrants in Middleton and Littleborough, and issued four fixed penalty notices for driving offences.<br><br>Superintendent John Graves of Greater Manchester Police’s Rochdale Division said: “Metal thieves cause misery and financial hardship for their victims, making homes unsafe and uninhabitable and destroying the hard work of those who maintain churches and other community facilities.<br><br>“Theft of metal from utility companies, schools and transport services causes severe disruptions to vital services, and through Operation Alloy we will continue to track thieves down and make it much harder for scrap yards to accept stolen metals.”<br><br>And in Wales, Gwent officers working with colleagues from British Transport Police are doing a week of public engagement meetings around Gwent to raise awareness about metal thefts.<br><br>Mobile police stations were out and about in areas which have been targeted by metal thieves to give out practical advice to householders and businesses about how to minimise the risk of becoming a victim.<br><br>Chief Inspector Glyn Fernquest who leads Operation Ignite, which is targeting the theft and sale of metals in Gwent, commented:<br><br>"As well as the enforcement work our officers and colleagues from other agencies are doing it’s very important that we keep the public informed about the best ways of deterring metal thieves and keeping their property safe.<br><br>"Officers will also be encouraging residents to report suspicious activity in and around rail tracks, churches, industrial units, social clubs other building which are often targeted by the thieves by ringing 101. If we are provided with the information we can, and will take action. Gwent Police is working with Caerphilly County Borough Council to introduce a ‘NO ID-NO CASH’ scheme whereby scrap yards will only accept scrap from registered collectors with photo-identification.<br><br>Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Licensing Section are producing photo ID cards free of charge for metal collectors.<br><br>Leading the operation, Sergeant Simon Clark explains:<br><br>"We are determined to keep a tight reign on itinerant collectors and scrap yards whilst working with them – not to adversely affect their legitimate business, but to weed out unscrupulous sections of the community who cause untold damage to homes, businesses and services.<br><br>"What we are introducing in Caerphilly is unique in the UK. We have identified a method to deal with house to house collectors and will properly audit where metal is collected and where it ends up. We are hoping to extend the scheme across Gwent." You can view a short film about metal theft and its effects by clicking on: http://www.youtube.com/gwentpolice#p/u/0/RAttsLsLOP0
