POLICE officers from Epping Forest and Woodford Green have joined forces to tackle crimes involving number plates.
A crime reduction event was carried out on Saturday in the car park of Sainsbury's in Old Station Road, Loughton, where three officers from Essex Police and the Met handed out special tamper-proof screws to prevent number plates from being stolen.
Sgt Scott Kingsnorth, who is based at Loughton: "Many of the drivers we spoke to were not aware of the huge difficulties caused when number plates are stolen.
"We would urge all drivers to be vigilant and let us know if they see number plates being tampered with in suspicious circumstances. And if anyone wants some of the security screws please call in to Loughton police station where they are available free of charge.”
A Forecourt Watch scheme was also launched by officers, providing informtion to managers of petrol stations in the Buckhurst Hill and Woodford areas on how to work together to pass on information about suspect vehicles that have driven off without paying for fuel.
Thieves steal number plates to use them to avoid being detected for not paying for fuel at petrol stations and to cover up motoring offences such as speeding fines and the London congestion charge.
Sgt Scott Kingsnorth, who is based at Loughton said: "Making off without paying for fuel is an ongoing problem in this area of West Essex because drivers think they can drive off into the Met Police area without being detected.
"But the joint patrols and close cooperation between the forces means that we can quickly let each other know when suspect cars are in the area and take action to trace them.""
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here