Police target motorists in crackdown on criminals

Scores of motorists were checked and several arrests made during a major crackdown on night-time crime in north Shropshire and neighbouring counties, police said today.

Officers swooped as part of Operation Vulture and made a string of arrests on suspicion of drugs offences and motoring offences.

The operation, carried out last night and on Tuesday, was part of a clampdown aimed at disrupting criminal activity in north Shropshire, south Cheshire, north Staffordshire and north Wales.

It involved spot checks on about 100 vehicles across the region, including both main and rural roads in north Shropshire.

On Tuesday, two people were arrested near Malpas on suspicion of drink-driving after giving positive breath tests and another driver was arrested in the Whitchurch area on suspicion of possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Officers last night issued three cautions for cannabis possession and fixed penalty notices were issued for various motoring offences over both nights.

Detective Constable Glyn Teggin, operation co-ordinator based at Market Drayton, said: "Our activity also proved fruitful in obtaining intelligence about a number of offences, including drug dealing, burglary and handling stolen goods.

"Officers from all four forces will continue working together as a unit under Operation Vulture to help prevent crime in the region and to detect and arrest offenders. We have arrested more than 20 suspects and recovered stolen property worth over £150,000 since we started."

The operation also saw officers deploy state-of-the-art number plate recognition technology.