Police team up with dealers to tackle fuel and plate thefts

West Midlands Police have joined forces with 27 car dealerships, including ones in Dudley, Sandwell and Walsall, as police step up their fight against the thefts.

Operation Kadence was originally launched in 2011, and despite seeing a drop in the number of number plate and fuel thefts, also known as bilking, they still receive around 300 reports fuel theft and 250 reports of number plate theft every month.

The operation will see anti-theft screws fitted to number plates as standard for every car sold by the dealers.

The bilkings are linked to the theft of number plates which offenders often use when committing their crimes on the forecourts.

Chief Inspector Andy Beard, who is leading the initiative, said: "We've already made great progress through Operation Kadence, having reduced the number of offences by some 30 per cent since its peak in 2011.

"This work has involved us increasing patrols, analysing CCTV into reported thefts and working closely with petrol stations to catch offenders.

"It's great to now have the dealerships on board because not only are they making it harder for thieves to steal number plates in the first place, but they are also helping reduce the inconvenience and cost caused to members of the public when having to purchase replacement plates.

"I want to thank them for supporting us and for taking the issue so seriously and I hope together we can drive down this reduction in offences even further.

"With an average of around 300 bilkings every month across the force area, it's still both a local and national problem and something we must continue to address."

Police and Crime Commissioner Bob Jones welcomed the initiative.

He said: "It is good to see the industry working together with police to make it harder for the criminals to offend.

"We are planning to hold a summit event for representatives from the industry later this year to invite their suggestions on what more can be done to tackle this type of crime."