European police join road crime crackdown

Operation Trivium II will see police from Romania, Lithuania and Poland go after gangs who travel around the country to avoid detection.

Such gangs are thought to be involved in shoplifting, fraud, metal theft and stealing from vehicles, and are not linked to any individual or established communities.

North Yorkshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy said: “We welcome the opportunity to work with colleagues across the UK and Europe in a combined effort to target foreign criminals who take advantage of our road network to commit crime.

“Travelling criminals are a top target for North Yorkshire Police and this nationwide operation will support and enhance our ongoing operations to deprive criminals of the use of our roads and protect our communities from the impact of these crimes.”

National policing lead for roads policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said: “The UK roads network is being used by criminals to carry out their misdeeds while avoiding detection.

“Their actions have a terrible impact on the communities they pass through and the businesses they target.”

There are between 15,000 and 30,000 foreign-registered vehicles present on the UK’s roads at any one time and under Operation Trivium II police will be stopping vehicles of interest and using officers who have travelled from Romania, Lithuania and Poland to carry out roadside checks to establish if the occupants are wanted by police in their home countries.

The foreign police officers will be based at a central call centre to allow frontline officers to contact them and carry out almost instant checks on drivers and passengers. Some of the officers will also travel out with UK police and carry out roadside checks themselves.