THOUSANDS of pounds worth of caravans were seized and a man arrested after organised crime gangs were targeted in a police raid.
A team of 25 officers swooped on the village of Woodstone, Fence Houses, with the aim to break the stolen caravan chain operating in and around Durham.
Police entered two caravan park compounds, targeting people believed to be involved in buying and selling stolen goods, including cars, caravans and motor homes.
A convoy of nine police vehicles drove through the village before reaching Leisure Caravans in Woodstone.
A man was arrested on suspicion of theft and money laundering and two caravans, worth up to £10,000, were taken away for investigation.
The keys of a Mercedes, worth around £70,000, was seized and the car taken away for analysis. Police began searching 600 caravans in storage on the site.
The alleged thief was identified by members of the public.
He was yesterday being questioned on suspicion of stealing caravans and money laundering.
Last night police had successfully searched and recorded the chassis numbers of 300 caravans but still had another 300 to check.
Details of the vehicles were sent to CRIS – a Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme which checks if a caravan has outstanding finance, is written off or stolen.
The raid was organised as part of Operation Tweed, within Operation Sledgehammer, a campaign which aims to crack organised crime groups in and around Durham.
And officers were hoping that the operation yesterday will have increased the public’s confidence in the police and helped to break up the sale of stolen goods.
Neighbourhood Inspector Paul Anderson, of Durham Constabulary, said: “We have got a few organised crime groups in Durham City. They are groups of people who carry out unlawful activity to make money.
“But as a result of community information we were able to organise the operation.
“I can assure members of the public that we act upon all information and that every little bit helps. It may just be the final piece of a jigsaw or open other avenues for us to investigate.
“If people do have any further information then I would urge them to get in touch and we will act upon it.
“The message I want to get out to criminals is that if you carry out unlawful activity, we will target you.”
Leaflets were distributed in nearby areas to inform people about the raid. And now Chief Inspector Colin Williamson is urging the public to report anybody they suspect to be involved in the black market.
He said: “Today is not just about trying to crack down on crime but it about reassuring the public that we do act on the information we receive.
“It’s about making a positive impact on the community.
“We want to tell people after we received information this is what we do about it.
“We also plan to tell the community what we are doing.”
