Decline in number of raids on lorries

Raids on lorries in the West Midlands have fallen by almost half so far this year, new figures show.

Lorries in the region have been targeted by crooks 62 times since January, compared to more than 100 in the same period of 2009.

Wheels, metal and batteries are among the loads that have been stolen from heavy goods vehicles across the region in the last three months, while crooks also took 23 lorries.

Sites in Walsall, Wednesbury, Tipton, Wolverhampton, Brierley Hill and Stourbridge have all been targeted.

The figures are compiled by TruckPol, the national police unit set up to tackle lorry crimes.

The first six months of last year saw 139 crimes on lorries and their drivers in the West Midlands.

That figure did include 35 thefts of diesel, which no longer feature in the statistics. But police are not allowing themselves to celebrate just yet.

Although there has been an overall drop in raids - with no lorry-jacking at all across the region since January - TruckPol's Det Sgt Sue Coutts noted a rise in metal hauls being stolen nation-wide.

"Metal thefts have seen a big rise and this may be due to the value of scrap metals rising," she said.

"Information received by TruckPol shows that good quality scrap copper has a value approaching £5,000 per tonne."

The Express & Star revealed yesterday that an explosion in metal thefts had seen 600 attacks on homes and businesses across the Black Country in just seven weeks.

Police say thieves are exploiting lax laws that allow them to arrive at scrap merchants in taxis and even pushing their haul in prams.

Dudley is the area worst hit by thieves cashing in on rocketing prices of lead, copper and steel.

In one incident, forklift trucks were used to steal £30,000 of metal from a firm in the borough.

The rising prices have been fuelled at least in part by a construction boom in the Middle East.

Earlier this year, two members of a violent gang which hijacked £6 million of loot from 40 lorries in Midland raids were jailed for 16 years.

Truckers were hit with baseball bats and bundled into car boots during the terrifying ambushes.