Police are working with scrap dealers across Kirklees to tackle metal theft.
They were out and about yesterday as part of a new crime blitz to inform traders how changes to the law aimed to reduce metal theft can impact on their business.
Under the newly enforced Scrap Metal Act 2013 it means scrap metal premises can no longer accept goods from unlicensed collectors and they themselves must also be licensed.
As part of Operation Viper – a week-long crackdown on crime – police visited 12 scrap metal and vehicle dealers in Huddersfield.
All the premises were found to be fully compliant with their own licences and many welcomed the new legislation for scrap collectors.
They were handed a letter from West Yorkshire Police which explains the new legislation and means if collectors can’t verify where the metal goods come from, then police will seize them and the money will go the Police and Crime Commissioner’s fund.
The Examiner was invited along on the visits led by Sgt Simon Haigh and accompanied by Kirklees Council representatives and Trace Metal director John Minary.
Sgt Haigh said: “If metal items are collected by a scrap man, police now have the power to ask how these items were acquired.
“Under the new legislation, if the scrap man is not licensed, the items can be seized and the goods are taken to the local scrap yard to be weighed and sold.
“They then pay the money direct to the Police and Crime Commissioner’s bank account.
“This way the yards aren’t losing out and it is in everybody’s interest to be licensed.”
AK Autocentre Owner Khalid Hussain said: “I am happy to work with police. I wasn’t aware you couldn’t take cash for scrap cars. I think scrap metal theft isn’t as bad in Kirklees as in other areas.”
Scott Whittaker, of Morley Waste Traders in Moldgreen, added: “I welcome the licences of scrap collectors. It is a good idea. The problem is it’s not been a level playing field for some time. There are those who accept everything and it’s companies like us who lose out.
“Hopefully this licence will go some way to sort that but I hope it is policed properly long after it’s introduced.”
The 12 premises visited yesterday were: Truckline Services, Anchor Street Huddersfield, AK Autocentre Lower Viaduct, Barry K Ellis Firth Street, Morley Waste Traders, Mold Green, JS Bamforth, Milnsbridge, JB Schofield Linthwaite, Colne Valley Metals Skip Hire, Triforth Motor Company, Cross Heights Truck Parts Limited, Wells and Moorhouse Dismantlers, Meltham.
New legislation regarding Scrap Metal came into force in October to reduce the sale of stolen metal goods.
The Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 is aimed at thefts which have blighted the rail and power industries and seen churches targeted.
Deputy Chief Constable Paul Crowther, from British Transport Police (BTP), said: “This legislation marks a very significant milestone in the fight against metal thieves.
“The Act demands a greater level of awareness and responsibility from traders, ensuring they verify who they are doing business with, but it also protects law-abiding re-cyclers from unscrupulous traders.”
The new rules require dealers:
To hold either a site or mobile collector’s licence, issued by the council.
To display site licence in a prominent place, accessible to the public, at each site identified in the licence.
To provide proof of the seller's identity and address, and keep the records for three years. And the act also extends a ban on cash payments to mobile collectors.
Dealers who have not registered by 1 December face prosecution with fines of up to £1,000, limits on trading hours and the possibility of being shut down.
