Twelve arrests during series of raids tackling car thefts in east London and Essex

Officers forced entry to a series of locations during the raids (credit: Essex Police)

Police have carried out a series of raids in London and Essex, as part of an investigation into the theft of high-value cars.

Officers recovered around a dozen stolen vehicles and £90,000 in cash, and they also discovered a cannabis factory.

The raids were carried out early this morning in Romford, Rainham, Dagenham, West Ham, Leyton, Grays, and Navestock, as well as other parts of Essex.

Teams from Essex Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, and British Transport Police all worked together on the operation.

The investigation involves nearly 90 incidents where vehicles, mainly Range Rovers and Land Rovers, have been stolen between November 2018 and February 2020.

Locations they were taken from include Havering, Barking and Dagenham, and areas across the south and west of Essex.

The value of the vehicles involved totals almost £5 million, according to Essex Police.

Some of the vehicles seized today (credit: Essex Police)

Chief Inspector Lewis Basford, who is leading the operation, said: “Vehicle theft causes serious harm to the victims both in terms of the financial loss of the vehicle itself and the impact is has on their life.

“It can affect your home life, your ability to take your kids to school and go to and from work.

“If you use your vehicle for work, it could mean you’re not able to work at all.

“Today’s operation highlights the excellent partnership and collaborative work that takes place between forces to tackle this issue.

“Essex Police, the Metropolitan Police, and British Transport Police have shared intelligence and pooled resources with more than 450 officers involved in today’s warrants, emphasising how seriously we treat this issue.

“Organised crime groups cause misery to our communities and work across borders making effective partnership work like this crucial to disrupting and dismantling them.

“We will continue to work together to tackle these kinds of groups.

“Essex and London are safer places for vehicle owners today as a result of this work.”

Range Rover parts were also discovered during the raids (credit: Essex Police)

Police say 12 people were arrested during the warrants this morning.

Chief Inspector Basford added: “The people behind these types of offences are organised and professional.

“They’re experienced at giving a vehicle a new identity and then selling it on to an unsuspecting member of the public.

“Often it may not be identified for several months that a vehicle’s identity has been cloned, by which point the criminals have their money and are long gone.

“Gangs make millions of pounds in profits through this crime and can, re-invest that money into other forms of crime which cause further harm to the community.”

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