New police Road Traffic Team to use unmarked, high-performance cars to tackle crime
West Midlands Police brought in a third Road Crime Team (RCT) last week to target criminals involved in car key burglaries and other organised crime.
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The RCT will use unmarked, high-performance cars – as well as distinctive Interceptors – to pursue and arrest suspects.
In the last three months, the RCT recovered more than £1m of stolen vehicles, arrested more than 50 people and seized huge amounts of class A drugs and cash by stopping suspicious vehicles.
Last month, officers stung and boxed in a car on the M5 which lead them to seize 36kg of cocaine worth an estimated £5.4m.
Another incident in March led officers to arrest a man in Birmingham who was wanted for the attempted murder of one of their police officer colleagues.
They also arrested a suspected organised crime group leader in Birmingham last month in a van, while saving three vulnerable people believed to be exploited workers.
Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of roads policing in the West Midlands, said: “We are absolutely dedicated to making the roads of the region safer, and targeting the criminals who use them.
“The creation of this third road crime team shows how dedicated we are to that mission.
“Our officers are working 24/7 as we aim to achieve Vision Zero - working with partners such as councils others to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030, and to reduce it to zero by 2040.”
