More patrols in Warwickshire to catch travelling criminals

Announcing the new initiative, Chief Insp Adrian Knight said: “Criminals need to travel to commit crime in Warwickshire and elsewhere. We have deployed a team of officers to proactively patrol Warwickshire’s roads to make it as difficult as possible for thieves, burglars, drug dealers and other criminals to operate.

“We are stopping anyone we believe may be linked to crime and want to send a clear message to criminals - do not travel around Warwickshire and commit crime.”

Officers will be using cars equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology at selected locations at key times throughout the county.

More of the force’s cars now have the ANPR technology, while new mobile ID terminals allow officers to check fingerprints at the roadside and mobile data terminals allow access to the force’s computer network.

Officers will also be identifying and seizing any cars being driven illegally, for example with no insurance, as this suggests the driver may be committing other offences as well.

During the first week of the operation, which started in February, officers seized 52 cars in Warwickshire under a range of powers. The majority of these were seized for having no insurance.

Among them was a Toyota on the M40 near Leamington, in which were travelling a man and a woman, who were arrested on suspicion of class A drugs offences. Officers searched their homes and seized a “significant quantity” of what is believed to be heroin. The pair have been released on bail pending further enquiries.

Chief Insp Knight said: “We need people to help us make Warwickshire a safer place to live and work by contacting us with information about who they believe is committing crime in their neighbourhood.”

Anyone with such information should call 415000, the non-emergency number 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, where they can speak anonymously.