Operation Brompton - Lincolnshire Police Metal Theft Initiative
Lincolnshire Police has again showed excellent results in the fight against metal theft. Figures this year show a 27.7% reduction in metal theft crime over the first six months of 2012 compared to the same period in 2011. These results are down to a combination of efforts from officers and members of the public. The force response to metal theft, Operation Brompton, has initiated operations and promoted pro-active policing throughout the force area to raise awareness of these types of crime.
Scrap metal dealers are now working together with police and requesting photographic identification from customers, this helps when investigating crimes and also makes it harder for criminals to dispose of stolen metal.
Members of the public are now regularly reporting suspicious incidents involving rogue scrap collectors. Officers on the streets are instructed to stop and challenge these vehicles under the ‘Stop a Scrapper’ initiative. We now scrutinise these vehicles in every way possible and ensure that scrap collection is being done lawfully, if it is not then we will work with partner agencies to take enforcement action.
This has led to more arrests and more vehicles being seized than in previous years. Lincolnshire Police is committed to dealing robustly with metal thieves. In the last week a 16-year-old youth was charged with handling stolen goods after being stopped by officers with stolen copper and lead from a house in Gainsborough. In addition a 24-year-old man was arrested and charged with theft, after his vehicle was stopped in Whaplode and he was found in possession of two stolen copper cylinder tanks.
Sergeant Marc Gee of Lincolnshire Police said, “We are determined to build on our initiatives to make a difference in respect of this blight on our communities. Some of the offences have seen the theft of parts of our heritage that can never be properly replaced. We will continue to prioritise metal theft to reduce the figures even further, but this can only be done through the help of the general public. There are many legitimate scrap metal collectors who can be contacted and arrangements made to pick up any unwanted items. We would urge people to report any suspicious incidents in their area and keep any metal items secure to prevent them from being stolen.”
To report any suspicious activity or if you have any information relating to metal theft, you can contact Lincolnshire Police on the 101 non-emergency number or via 999
ALTERNATIVELY you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
