POLICE have been out to thwart thieves who steal number plates to put on cars which they then use to commit crimes.

Officers from Brighouse Neighbourhood Policing Team pitched up at Tesco Extra Supermarket car park in the town to fit anti-theft devices to shoppers’ number plates free of charge.

The move is to prevent stolen number plates being used in offences such as making-off without payment and being used to disguise vehicles handling stolen goods.

Often the stolen plates are fitted to a similar vehicle to further disguise the crime.

But the anti-theft devices involve swapping the screws in the number plate to ones which can’t be removed.

Sgt Warren Pitman from Brighouse Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We have come down to a good central, highly visible location to offer not just anti-theft number plate devices but crime prevention advice.

“We know from other areas such as Bradford that thefts of number plates is an issue. I wouldn’t say it’s risen but it is something we are monitoring.

“We were fortunate to get central funding under the Proceeds of Crime towards the kits which contains the screws and instructions.

“We have been fitting them for the public but if they want to do it themselves we give them the kit and information.

“It only takes five minutes and is a valuable tool to stop them being stolen.”

And Sgt Pitman said the team had received a good response from the public at the car park off Huddersfield Road.

“We have brought down our marketing trailer and a few police vehicles which can be seen from the roundabout,” he said.

“We have also had Pcs and Pcsos at parts of the car park to tell people what we are doing in case they don’t want to come over initially.

“For every kit we give out we have also been handing out our NPT newsletter which offers advice on burglary prevention and encouraging people to go on the Lower Valley Facebook site.”

The initiative was also carried out in Elland three weeks ago where 76 vehicles had anti-theft number plate devices either fitted or taken away.

To check out what else the NPT are up to go to:

www.facebook.com/pages/Lower-Valley-NPT