Hundreds of cars recovered as police target chop shop gangs
More than 630 vehicles have been recovered and 280 suspects have been arrested in a police crackdown on 'chop shops' in the West Midlands.
A total of 631 vehicles, worth £1.6 million, have been recovered from the illegal workshops that break up cars to sell stolen parts online.
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: “There are concerns a spiralling demand for car parts is fuelling a rise in vehicle crime, including car key burglaries and violent car-jackings.
“A number of people have already been arrested and put before the courts.
“We also know that a proportion of stolen vehicles are broken down at so-called ‘chop shops’ and sold on through online auction sites."
One report per day
The force is getting an average of one report a day of chop shops operating around the West Midlands.
This information is used to shut down illegal operations, disrupting the chain of supply and demand.
“The people putting these cars back together often have no qualifications and will sell the botched-together vehicles on legitimate websites, meaning not only could the next car you buy be made from stolen parts, it could also be extremely dangerous.”
In September, police uncovered two chop shops in the Black Country.
Stolen BMWs led police to the sites in Minerva Lane, Wolverhampton, and an industrial unit off Oak Lane, Kingswinford. Seven men were arrested after police discovered both sites.
Last month, a car-jacking gang from Birmingham was jailed for more than ten years after detectives linked them to a string of car-jackings and thefts.
Specialist burglary and robbery teams have been set up to help hunt down criminals.
Officers are also speaking to car manufacturers to help improve security features and lobbying the government and insurers to issue tighter rules around the re-sale of salvaged cars.
The spokesman added: “We do not underestimate the impact this type of crime has on people.”
Anyone with information on vehicle crime is asked to call police on 101.
