Dorset Police working to reduce vehicle crime offences across the county
Officers from across the county are working to reduce vehicle crime offences and ensure the public know how to protect their vehicles.
Between Monday 16 September and Sunday 22 September 2024, officers took part in a national vehicle crime intensification week to disrupt activity and support drivers in keeping their vehicles safe.
Organised crime groups are known to commit vehicle thefts and target specific vehicles. In particular, offenders are using devices disguised as normal items in order to commit the thefts.
The week of action saw officers focused on targeting the theft of high-value keyless cars, theft of mopeds or motorbikes and theft from motor vehicles.
Proactive patrols were carried out at car parks and known hotspots to deter offences from taking place and look out for suspected offenders. Focused activity was carried out to identify suspects of reported vehicle crime offences. As a result of this work, one person was arrested and subsequently charged. A Renault van that was reported as stolen from a hire company was recovered. In addition, over 50 visits were made by officers to provide prevention advice at key locations during the week.
Throughout recent months, officers from the local neighbourhood policing teams have been putting dedicated intelligent-led patrols in specific areas to target anyone who is suspected of stealing items from a victim’s vehicle.
Also, the Force has been running Op Motor to tackle the theft of keyless vehicles. A number of investigations are underway into reports of these incidents to target any suspected offenders and upstream criminals who organise for vehicles to be stolen and resold, often out of the county.
Prior to the intensification week, in a five-week period officers arrested 18 people for various vehicle crime offences.
Detective Superintendent Steve May, of Dorset Police, said: “In Dorset, we have seen an increase in reports of theft of motor vehicles, as well as thefts from a vehicle, which is in line with a national rise in these types of incidents.
“We know the significant impact vehicle crime has on victims and we will consider all proportionate and available lines of enquiry to investigate reported incidents.
“We will continue to monitor crime reports for patterns of offending and where we see an increase in a particular area, local officers will respond with increased patrols in the vicinity.
“There is a lot of work ongoing across the county to disrupt this type of offending and ensure the public do not become victims of these impactful crimes.”
It is vitally important that the public are aware of a number of simple tactics that can help protect their vehicles and their contents. Visit our website to find out more: Keeping vehicles safe | Crime prevention | Dorset Police
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