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The way forward 111111111111MMI■11111111
Page 29
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Hooper says there are things the British police do well. The technology here is excel] including tracking and CCTV coverage.
But currently, everything is dealt with on a regional basis. Teams are set up regior when truck crime reaches boiling point but when the problem goes away, the t€ is disbanded.
A classic example was Operation Coppergold, which ran in the West Midlands in 2( A large team, comprising a Chief Inspector and 20 police constables, was set up when the criminals were caught, the unit was wound down. Today, the crime statistic the West Midlands are "way back up there'.
Hooper says: "You can't have a squad where you deal with an issue then disband team. All that happens is that you displace crime to another area. When the police offic move on, the baddies start coming back again."
A dedicated truck crime unit needs to be set up to move around the country. The off ic should be left alone to do their work, conducting operations in one problem area t moving on to the next. This way, the pressure is kept on and you don't lose expertisi disrupting and relocating the unit. "If we had that, we'd have a significant impact on -crime,says Hooper.