Eleven arrests as police target freight crime on the region’s roads

Members of the Derbyshire roads policing unit have been working with officers from Nottinghamshire, Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, and West Yorkshire to target criminals using the road networks.

The operation saw officers working to help deter criminal gangs from targeting delivery lorries by ensuring police are present in hot-spot areas, especially during the evenings, and sharing details of reports and information across borders.

The men were arrested in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire and West Yorkshire and on suspicion of conspiracy to commit theft, document and driving offences.

During the operation officers also recovered two HGVs which were believed to have been cloned and a lorry which was believed to have been stolen. A number of other vehicles were also seized due to document, driving or traffic offences.

PC Johnathan Terry helped coordinate the operation in Derbyshire. He said: “The aim of the operation was to deter crimes affecting freight on our roads with increased patrols in hot-spot areas such as lay-bys or parking areas on major routes through our county, while sharing information and existing intelligence to target travelling criminality.

“We find that because of our location, we do tend to see a lot of lorries stopping overnight, and while most do so without any issues, we do see an increased risk of HGCs being targeted for that reason.”

PC Terry added: “Working alongside other police forces in our region has helped us to achieve a successful operation to target crimes which not only has an impact on businesses, but for drivers who may fear being hurt and all of us who may see increased prices for goods and disruption to supply chains. We will be continuing to work to keep our roads safe, and further similar operations are being planned for the future.”

If you notice any suspicious activity, or have any information about crime in Derbyshire, please contact police via: Facebook – send a private message to their Facebook page; Twitter – direct message the contact centre via @DerPolContact; Website – the police have several crime reporting tools on their website or use the online contact form or phone on 101.