Police Target Metal Thieves

9 September 2011, 09:19 | Updated: 30 March 2016, 13:50

A big police operation's been tackling metal thieves in Portsmouth.

On Wednesday (September 7th), police, along with officals from the City Council and the Environment Agency, conducted an operation around the city.

The aim was to catch those stealing and disposing of stolen scrap metal and gather intelligence..

Six units stopped vehicles and visited premises in the north of the city and conducted checks on what was being carried or stored and that the relevant licence was held.

A total of three vehicles were taken off the road, one of these had no insurance. Ten vehicles were given seven days notice to produce a waste carriers licence and one driver was reported for summons for flytipping offences.

Superintendant Norman Mellors, said: "Acting on intelligence from within the community, the police and partner agencies are able to target offenders and prevent the disposal of stolen property.  This type of operation, by its nature, disrupts criminal activity.

"The message is clear to criminals, if you commit offences in the wider Portsmouth City area, you will be arrested swiftly and brought to justice."

PC Simon Buckle, said: “Thieves often try to sell or dispose of stolen metal very quickly.  I would like to urge anyone with information about metal theft to contact the police as soon as possible to give us more chance of reuniting the stolen items with their owners.

“Our advice to residents, businesses and organisations with metals in their possession is to be aware of the value of your metal and to take appropriate security precautions wherever possible.”

Anyone with any information about this sort of crime should contact police 101 or call Crimestoppers, the charity, anonymously on 0800 555 111.