Cheshire Police crackdown on cross border criminals with GMP

A day of action and show of force saw Cheshire Police join forces with Greater Manchester Police yesterday, Tuesday, deploying more than 150 officers in a bid to disrupt and deny criminals using roads across the region.

This was launched at Ikea in Warrington, just off the M62, with a briefing held before officers took to the roads to spearhead the clampdown.

Critical in tactically policing the border, automatic number plate recognition cameras were used by officers to virtually monitor vehicles crossing between the counties as part of Operation Crossbow.

Stop checks were made on all vehicles that were linked to criminal activity or operating on the roads illegally.

A Bentley has been seized by police as part of the operation (Image: Dave Gillespie)

Officers also had use of facial recognition software to assist in confirming the identity of criminals when they are believed to have provided false details and cannot provide identification.

Another initiative used by officers is Operation Yellow Card, which allows officers who suspect someone is carrying out criminal activity to issue them with a warning card.

Superintendent Sarah Heath, from Cheshire Police, said: “Operation Crossbow is a real show of strength targeting criminality on our roads.

“I always say not every motorist is a criminal, but certainly every criminal is a motorist, or tends to be, so it is really important that anyone who tries to travel across our road network for criminality sees that we are out there and we will stop them, and we have zero tolerance.

Superintendent Sarah Heath, from Cheshire Police (Image: Dave Gillespie)

“Crimes range from driving behaviour offences, and of course we will always enforce that, but criminality includes organised crime gangs and human trafficking.

“Warrington is a key area, and it is really important for us to showcase the work we do day-in, day-out in relentlessly making the region a hostile environment for criminals to operate.

“We are always doing this work and today is not a one off, but it is really important to go out in large numbers so members of the public can see how we are tackling criminality and keeping our roads safe.

“Criminals certainly do not take any notice of borders, and we want that message out there that neither do we, and if you come to Cheshire to commit crime, you will get caught.

Cheshire Police Chief Constable Mark Roberts briefs officers (Image: Dave Gillespie)

Also present at the launch was Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter, of GMP.

He commented: “We know that criminals from Manchester come to exploit places in Cheshire for vehicles, burglaries and county lines drug dealing.

“One of the issues we have is the public not necessarily seeing what we are doing, with plain cars out and about and a lot happening overnight while people are in bed.

“The benefit of this is to raise the profile of what we do and give the public some reassurance that we are taking this seriously.

Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter, of GMP (Image: Dave Gillespie)

“Warrington is a key area, but we get problems right across the border from Wigan, especially down towards Wythenshawe and south Manchester at the border with Wilmslow.

“We have been really clear about this – if you are out there committing crime, we are out there to get you.”

Following the briefing, we went out on the road with Cheshire Police Roads and Crime Unit officer Mark Williams, as well as special constable Tom Flint, who took us through an average day as part of the operation.

They patrol the main transit routes into Warrington, as well as the motorway network in general through Cheshire, particularly the M62 corridor, which is frequently used by travelling criminals.

A convoy of police cars set off on the operation (Image: Dave Gillespie)

This sees offenders such as drug transporters travel through Cheshire from Liverpool to Warrington and Manchester and vice versa.

Among the incidents Mark has been involved in during his 25 years on the road crime team are million-pound cash seizures and drug stops to confiscate illegal substances worth tens of millions of pounds.

Other incidents as part of the job include ATM thefts and brazen travelling criminals targeting homes to steal jewellery during the daytime.

It was an interesting insight into the role such officers play in disrupting criminality on the roads, and early reports show the operation targeting travelling criminals is already bearing fruit.