Six people have been arrested and 21 vehicles seized after Northamptonshire Police carried out a countywide day of action targeting burglary, vehicle crime and drug dealing.
Officers executed 12 drug warrants at homes in Northampton, Daventry, Towcester and Corby on Wednesday and five men and one woman were arrested for drugs and theft offences.
Two men, Carl Lewis, aged 23, of Willis Way, Towcester, and Perry Joyce, aged 22, of Islington Road, Towcester, were subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply controlled drugs.
More than 50 vehicles were stopped after being scanned by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras and officers seized 21 vehicles, including two that were found to be stolen.
Ten were uninsured, five had no tax and four drivers did not have a valid driving licence.
Police were also went out to meet people and give out crime prevention advice.
At Tesco, in Mereway, Northampton, police spent the day patrolling the car park and giving crime prevention advice to drivers visiting the store and petrol station.
They spotted more than 170 cars where drivers had left valuable items in the car that could be seen easily by a potential thief, or had even been left unlocked.
Officers were also on patrol in Dallington, where they spoke to more than 80 people and gave out hundreds of crime prevention advice leaflets.
Police in Brackley took the mobile police station to Deanshanger to meet local people and carry out speed checks.
In Wellingborough, 30 motorists were stopped as part of a ‘rogue trader’ operation. Various offences were detected, including vehicle defects, no MOT and use of a mobile phone while driving.
Sergeant Neil Cahalin, who led the day of action, said: “It was a highly successful day. As well as carrying out search warrants, making arrests and seizing vehicles, there were several community events. These gave us the chance to meet and talk to local people and give out useful advice and information.
“The ANPR team were particularly successful, seizing more vehicles in a day than in any previous operation, showing our determination to crackdown on motorists who drive without valid insurance or a driving licence, putting other road users at risk. One follower on Twitter even described the day as like a live episode of the TV show Road Wars!”
The day of action formed part of Operation Guardian, the ongoing operation to tackle burglary, vehicle crime and related offences.