Road checks joy for metal theft police

A POLICE blitz to catch criminals transporting stolen metal uncovered nearly a dozen vehicles which had serious defects and were considered unfit to be on the roads.

Officers from Lothian and Borders Police teamed up with various other agencies for Operation Crassus, an ongoing crackdown on the transportation of stolen metal and plant machinery.

Road checks carried out in Linlithgow and Broxburn in West Lothian, where a total of 60 vehicles were checked, saw a number of offences detected last Friday.

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Among these were 11 vehicles that were found to have serious defects and deemed unfit to drive.

Inspector Simon Bradshaw, from the force’s road policing unit, said: “This operation signals our commitment towards targeting those who are engaging in this type of criminal activity, and sends a message that we, the force, will take action in areas where we believe they may be operating.

“We will continue to carry out intelligence-led patrols and road checks, and those who are caught will be dealt with to the full extent of the law.”