Inside the car 'chop shops' as half a million pounds worth of suspected stolen vehicles seized in new raids

Expensive cars worth up to £80,000 were among the vehicles found in 'chop shops' across Greater Manchester by police carrying out raids across the region.

The cars, thought to have been stolen in burglaries, are often dismantled by crooks using them for parts and storing and concealing them in warehouses.

A crackdown on vehicle crime across Greater Manchester has now resulted in 31 arrests and 28 stop searches in the last month alone, Greater Manchester Police has revealed.

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In that period, the force has seized over half a million pounds worth of suspected stolen vehicles, including from burglaries in Rochdale, after a successful warrant uncovered an £80,000 Land Rover and a £40,000 VW Tiguan. 

£5,000 in cash along with other high value property such as watches and vintage whiskey were also seized. The criminal groups had used equipment for keyless car entry.

Earlier this month on October 18, officers, alongside specialist vehicle examination teams, raided a property on Bromley Street in Manchester following reports of a 'chop shop.' Three men, aged 27, 32 and 59, were arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods.

It comes as the force have announced a crackdown on illegal car crime across the region, making those running the illegal operations face justice.

It was last week that the Manchester Evening News reported how a group of men, who preyed on victims by pretending to be Manchester Airport valets, were jailed for their role in a gang after stealing cars and keeping them stashed in a mill. With a haul worth over £3million, it was one of the 'most organised criminal networks' GMP had ever seen.

Superintendent Danny O’Neil, force lead for vehicle crime, said: “We are continuing to put the brakes on vehicle crime. Criminals are definitely feeling the impact of our work and by taking action and arresting suspects, we are tackling the issue at its root. The great work by officers across the force have shown a 20 per cent reduction in instances of vehicle crime across Greater Manchester this year to date.

“We want to highlight the work that happens on a daily basis to tackle vehicle offences, a lot of the work is conducted behind the scenes.

“This is work that may not be visible to the public, but I want to reassure you that we have dedicated neighbourhood crime teams working across all of our districts in Greater Manchester. They are dedicated to investigating vehicle crime and reducing instances of it in your area.

“As a force, we have a number of specialist teams who also support our fight against vehicle crime across the force, such as our Tactical Vehicle Intercept Unit. Officers in this unit assist us daily in ensuring suspected stolen cars recovered, this team act on intelligence to make arrests and disrupt criminals.

"Our Serious Organised Crime Group also assist with large scale investigations, often linking serious incidents and targeting the most prolific offenders who operate force wide, helping us to secure robust convictions

“Our neighbourhood teams will continue this momentum through conducting a mix of covert and high visibility patrols in hotspot areas and patrol plans are in place to successfully recover stolen vehicles and stop offenders in their tracks.

“We are placed where you need us most in your community to prevent, tackle and solve crime and there are steps that drivers can take to protect their vehicles and make it harder for opportunistic thieves to operate."