Police target scrap yards
A Maidstone scrap yard was targeted as part of a national day of
action to tackle metal theft.
The dealership was one of 31 sites raided by Kent Police on
Wednesday, March 6.
The exact address has not been published.
Officers were joined on the operation by British Transport
Police, BT, UK Power Networks, Trading Standards and the Department
for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Teams inspected each target to ensure dealers were not trading
stolen metal, cabling or vehicles.
The Environment Agency detected eight offences in relation to
waste carrier and transfer notices, 10 people were referred to the
DWP due to possible benefit fraud and Local Authority Enforcement
officers detected seven offences and issued the relevant fines.
DC Jon Saxby, of the Kent and Essex Serious
Organised Crime Unit, spearheaded a warrant at the Maidstone scrap
yard.
He said: "It is important to carry out operations such as this
as it sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate illegal
transactions at scrap metal yards in Kent.
"Our visits have been useful for intelligence
gathering and to enforce compliance with the recent changes in
legislation but also have allowed us to disrupt criminality and
reassure the public.
"I’m pleased that Kent Police was able to work
closely with its partner agencies and we will continue to carry out
these operations in the future."
14/03/13
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