West Midlands Police shut down 100th chop shop as part of campaign
One hundred vehicle ‘chop shops’ have been shut down by West Midlands Police as part of a campaign to crackdown on car thieves.
The force launched an operation last year targeting crooks – including violent carjackers and car key burglars.
Officers also targeted back-street handlers storing and stripping down stolen vehicles in the region.
Residents were also asked to play their part as an awareness raising push urged people to Shop a Chop Shop by providing information on suspect premises.
It resulted in a surge of tip-offs from people identifying garages and industrial units they believed could be providing a market for car thieves, stripping down parts and selling them online or using them to repair salvage vehicles bought at auction.
Four high-value stolen cars were found stripped of parts when police cut their way into a chop shop in the Black Country in January this year.
Police used an angle grinder to cut through a metal shutter and break into the warehouse in Elwell Street, West Bromwich.
Inside they discovered the remains of four cars that had been stripped of all their valuable parts after being stolen from areas across the West Midlands.
Two cars both worth upwards of £20,000 new- a 2018 Audi A3 S Line and a 2017 Skoda Octavia VRS - had been stolen during car key burglaries in Walsall.
They were discovered along with a BMW M140i – worth more than £36,000 new – stolen in Birmingham and a Mercedes Vito van taken in Dudley.
In February, police raided five properties in the Black Country and found hundreds of vehicle parts and tools used to stral cars were found at the addresses in Oldbury and West Bromwich. Two 32-year-old men and a 31-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal motor vehicles.
And in October, police found three cars, believed to be stolen, alongside a large quantity of dismantled parts at Croxstalls Road, in Bloxwich.
The latest raided chop shop earlier this month saw officers execute a warrant on land off Brighton Road, in the Sparkbrook area of Birmingham, following intelligence it was being used to store cars. A West Midlands Police drone later identified a high-value Seat Leon Cupra at the site had been reported stolen in Cumbria.
Officers found a total of five stolen cars – one Toyota Yaris FR already stripped down and others waiting to be dismantled – plus several 'ghost' number plates used by crooks to disguise stolen cars. They were seized along with a recovery truck.
Chief Superintendent Chris Todd has led the campaign and is lobbying the Government, the insurance industry, auction houses and online sales sites to collectively help police combat vehicle crime.
He said: "This is a significant milestone and a fantastic achievement. These chop shops have been identified through a combination of community intelligence, inquisitive neighbourhood policing and good detective work.
“Chop shops provide an outlet for car thieves, accepting them and dismantling them sometimes in a matter of hours. The parts are often used to fix repairable write-offs sold by insurers through salvage auctions or the parts are sold online to unwitting buyers.
“Every time we close a chop shop it makes it harder for thieves to sell on stolen cars and therefore makes it more risky and less appealing.
“I would urge members of the public to keep getting in touch if they suspect a premises is being used to handle stolen vehicles − the information they provide is vital and we really appreciate their support."
As part of the campaign, West Midlands Police is calling for tougher standards around the re-sale of damaged vehicles amid concerns the practice is fuelling a rise in vehicle theft.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson added: "We are coming down hard on the organised criminals who are running chop shops and exploiting loopholes in current legislation.
"Our dedicated officers work tirelessly to tackle vehicle crime and I will continue to lobby government to make the changes in the law that would make our officers’ lives more easy and incredibly difficult for the criminals.
"As part of my national campaign with West Midlands Police we have been working to make a number of common sense changes to the law which would further help disrupt organised vehicle criminals.
"Any vehicle which is written off should immediately have its MOT cancelled and require a full safety inspection before it is readmitted to our roads. Vehicles crudely put back together in chop shops are a hazard to every road user.
“I have also been calling for tighter regulation around the availability of tools which are being used by thieves to steal vehicles, ensuring that they can only be purchased by those with a legitimate need to own them, such as mechanics and auto-locksmiths.”
