Two men arrested after police track down stolen van to suspected chop shop
Two men have been arrested after police tracked a stolen van to a suspected chop shop where it had been stripped.
Police were called to a lock-up in Tanworth Lane, Shirley, near Solihull yesterday and after the arrests, officers found a large amount of car parts, which are being examined to see if their origins can be traced.
The two men who were arrested, aged 46 and 40, remain in custody while police enquiries continue.
Detective Inspector Mark Heard, from Solihull Local Policing Area, said: "We know the inconvenience and frustration car theft and car cannibalism can cause and we are determined to take action against this type of crime.
"Closing down a suspected chop shop like this is a great result, but we know there is more of this kind of crime happening out there.
"That is why we need the help of the public to identify more of these sites and take action. If you think there is a chop shop where you live, or you have heard of suspected stolen car parts being sold, please get in touch with us via Live Chat or 101.
"This helps us build a picture of where these criminals are taking and distributing stolen car parts, which helps our investigations hugely."
Chop shops can be set up in industrial units, garage/mechanic premises or even in someone’s back garden.
Police say signs that might identify a chop shop include suspicious activity around industrial units, often at unusual times of the day, or night, noise coming from buildings out of hours, vehicles that look out of place going into workshops or locations and not coming back out and large amounts of car parts being stored, sometimes in odd places such as gardens.
