ACC Steve Thomas (BTP), TPS Dave Morris (BTP, Operation Leopard Metal Theft Team) and PS Andrew Wiltshire (Gwent Police)
Gwent Police has been recognised for its work towards tackling the theft of metal at the National Metal Theft Awards, hosted by the British Transport Police (BTP) in London.
Gwent officers took home three awards at the event:
- Outstanding Personal Award – Sergeant Simon Clark
- Outstanding National Rural Crime Initiative – CSO Allan Mills and Sergeant Simon Clark
- National Team of the Year – Gwent Police and British Transport Police
The awards featured police, partners and members of the scrap metal industry for their outstanding contribution for tackling metal theft across England, Scotland and Wales.
Outstanding Personal Award
Sergeant Simon Clark was awarded an outstanding personal award for his activity in Wales, which has included reforms made to the new Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 as well as an enforcement model for mobile scrap metal collectors that has now been adopted and copied across the UK.
Outstanding National Rural Crime Initiative Award
CSO Allan Mills and Sergeant Simon Clark were awarded for their efforts in mapping rural crime across Gwent and linking it with a range of offences, including metal theft. CSO Mills has also been working to establish the Farm Watch system on OWL (the Online Watch Link) and has been working with farmers to share information which has led to arrests for rural crime and the recovery of stolen property.
National Team of the Year Award
Gwent Police were also recognised with BTP, winning the National Team of the Year award for their innovative approach to and enforcement of legislation. In 2012, BTP Detective Inspector Mark Cleland worked with Sergeant Simon Clark from Gwent Police to create the first multi-agency task force to tackle on-going metal theft across the region. It was an opportunity to work with other agencies collaboratively to deal with a growing problem.
Over the past 18 months, the joint team – comprising of officers from the BTP Op Leopard team at Cardiff, as well as the Gwent Police ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) Tasking Team – have had a number of successes:
- Almost 200 arrests made since the introduction of the joint team
- £8000 worth of scrap metal seized and forfeited under the Police Property Act
- Second UK conviction for cash selling at a scrap metal dealer. In December 2012, a ban on scrap metal dealers being able to pay for scrap metal with cash under the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 1984 was introduced. A Newport scrap metal dealer was caught paying for scrap metal in cash and received a £250 fine in July 2013.
- 43% reduction in metal theft across Gwent
Sergeant Simon Clark, from Gwent Police, said: “We have been working hard over the last couple of years, as part of Operation Tornado, to target metal thefts and the illegal sale of metal, together with our partners such as British Transport Police. This has been reflected in numerous changes to legislation such as the ban on cash payments as well as the requirements for scrap metal dealers, motor salvage operators and vehicle dismantlers that run a business, site or are a mobile collector to now have a licence to trade.
“We are really pleased that this work has been recognised by with these national awards. Over the last couple of years, there has been a 43.89% reduction in metal thefts, but our focus remains very much on driving down the number of thefts even further by continuing to work with the scrap metal trade and partner agencies.”
Detective Superintendent Paul Griffiths, from Gwent Police, said: “Sergeant Clark and the team have demonstrated excellent policing in their approach to the metal theft problem and I am delighted that their efforts have been recognised at a national level. This is a great achievement.”
DI Mark Cleland, from British Transport Police, said: “To have been nominated for the award by our colleagues in Gwent Police is testament to the high regard that external agencies and police hold BTP in with regards to tackling criminality.
“All the Op Leopard officers have worked tirelessly over the past 18 months and have shared ideas and best practice that has succeeded in reducing disruption to the railway from £1.3 million a year just four years ago to just £38,000 over the past year.”
