Van raiders targeting spa town for scrap metal face crackdown

Police say there has been a notable rise in the number of reported thefts in recent weeks, with items ranging from freezers to freshly painted radiators being snatched from the street and driven off in vans and flat-bed trucks.

In one recent case, a van stopped by police was found to have thousands of pounds of stolen goods and scrap metal inside.

Officers say the rise is due to the current high value of scrap metal and believe the gangs are coming into the area on an almost daily basis to scout out potential targets.

Now North Yorkshire Police are extending Operation Wahoo, launched earlier this month to combat a growth in crime in the spa town, to dealing with the scrap metal gangs, and will be deploying specialist officers across Harrogate to conduct spot checks on vans and trucks.

Pc Dave Mackay, of Harrogate Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “We are having quite a few of these thefts reported.

“My personal opinion is some of the people scrap collecting metal with permission are using it as an opportunity to look at the lie of the land - although this has not been backed up with police intelligence.

“There is an increasing market for scrap metal at the moment and it is not just happening in Harrogate, it is taking place across North Yorkshire.

“Some of the thefts that are happening cannot have taken place without someone using a vehicle to take the property away.

“Just two days ago there was a theft of a freezer on Commercial Street that had been left outside before being taken into a shop.

“We think these are people from outside the area targeting Harrogate, possibly from West Yorkshire.”

As part of the crackdown, officers will also be checking that drivers have the correct insurance and documentation, including Environment Agency licences for vehicles carrying scrap metal.

Residents are also being urged by the police to be mindful of their home security and report any suspicious behaviour in their community.

The Harrogate District Safety Community Partnership is also aware of the problem and has set up a new section on its website for residents to support susp- icious activity in their garden or street over the next three months.

Coun Les Ellington, the Mayor of Harrogate and former cabinet member for public protection and rural affairs, said: “This is a crime being imposed on the people of Harrogate.

“Our home grown crime figures are low but there is a high proportion of visiting criminals from the North East and West Yorkshire.

“These gangs aren’t bothered what it is they are taking – that is the trouble with the market being the way it is at the moment.

“When prices are high it brings the criminals out.

“At certain times of year it is like they come out with a shopping list.

“We are going back to the days of church roofs not being safe from thieves because there was so much lead on them.

“All we can do is ask people to lock things up and leave them out of public view.”

Operation Wahoo was launched in the first week of May as a new initiative to bring down crime in Harrogate.

As part of the initiative, officers have been conducting Stop Crime Days, where police visit known offenders in the district and make them aware that they are being watched.

Regular offenders who are familiar to the police have also been sent warning letters.

This week alone, four of the worst five offenders in Harrogate have been arrested at least once and one has been arrested three times and yesterday was sent back to prison.