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<p>The Government is working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the
National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by the National Police Chiefs’ Council
lead for vehicle crime, to tackle theft of catalytic converters. The Metropolitan
Police Service is represented on the Working Group, and a network of vehicle crime
specialists from every force in England and Wales shares information about emerging
trends and how to tackle regional issues.</p><p>The Government funded the set-up of
the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership (NICRP), which ensures national
co-ordination of policing and law enforcement partners to tackle metal theft, including
the theft of catalytic converters. The partnership shares intelligence to target offenders,
and implements crime prevention measures. The British Transport Police, through the
NICRP, has conducted three national weeks of actions resulting in 92 arrests, over
2,000 site visits, over 1,000 stolen catalytic converters recovered, and the catalytic
converters of over 3,000 vehicles forensically marked. This has helped to promote
awareness, with over 1,000 officers trained in enforcement powers to deal with scrap
metal dealers, and has seen a significant reduction in catalytic converter thefts.
The Metropolitan Police Service have also co-ordinated their own operations to tackle
these thefts.</p>
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