White van man arrested following distraction theft

A man has been arrested following a suspected distraction theft, as part of an operation by a newly-formed roads policing unit.

West Midlands Police said a van driver was detained in Wolverhampton after he was believed to have been involved in stealing thousands of pounds from an elderly person.

He was arrested and cash was recovered as a result of the new team’s work, police said.

They added that, as part of the wider operation carried out during the unit’s first month, they had also seized weapons and drugs.

Supt Gareth Mason said police teams had been tasked with targeting criminals who use the road network. They would focus on tackling serious and organised crime as well as reducing the major causes of serious and fatal crashes.

The force said it would also be using smaller high-performance unmarked cars for the first time.

Recent successes have included seizing a knife and Class A drugs after a stolen Ford Focus was pursued in Coventry and stopping a VW Golf which was stolen during a carjacking and found driving with cloned plates in Erdington, police said.

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