Vehicle crime funds terroist cells

What do armed robberies, weapons trafficking, drug smuggling and terrorism all have in common? A vehicle.

This was the message highlighted at the 2009 Vehicle Enabled Crime Conference held by the Association of Chief Police Officers Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (AVCIS), on Friday 27 February.

This annual conference brought together key decision makers from the wider law enforcement community, including police, organised crime and vehicle crime investigators, all with one goal in-mind: to reduce vehicle-enabled crime.

The threat from organised crime groups stealing vehicles and using them in felonies across the UK and Europe, remains a challenge for police. The message is clear: in order to reduce the overall rate of crime in the UK, remove the vehicle as a crime-enabler.

Assistant Chief Constable Lawrie Lewis from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary described how Operation Utah has had a huge impact on vehicle crime in the West, catching high-profile criminals using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). "By the end of week one of the operation we had made 58 arrests and seized 145 vehicles. In one vehicle, we found over £120,000 of cocaine, which led us to the driver's home, and the discovery of £50,000 in cash: the proceeds of crime."

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Lambotte, Head of the AVCIS Unit said, "People must change their views on 'traditional' vehicle crime; the breaking and entering of cars is only the first rung on the ladder.

There is, in fact, a direct link between vehicle theft and terrorist activities, as vehicle crime funds cells for terrorism by the generation of millions of pounds in currency through the buying and selling of stolen vehicles. Working with our partner agencies, AVCIS is committed to reducing vehicle-enabled crime in the UK"