West Yorkshire police advised Transit owners from Bradford to secure their vans after a rise in Transit van theft rate in the area

West Yorkshire police has issued a warning to the owners of Ford Transit vans that the van theft rate in the area is rising. Police has also warned the owners of vans to make sure that their vans are secure and protected from being theft.

A police officer said that the department is taking very serious action against the thieves. The rise in the Ford Transit theft rate has been recorded in previous years however, targeted models are ranging from 2010 to onward.

It is also reported that the police has recorded an increase of 91.2 percent in van theft across the country and this increase has been recorded in last six months only. Out of these thefts in the area, more than 60 percent are Ford Transit models from 2010 or even newer.

West Yorkshire Police also using transit police vehicles and believes that the criminals are using very advanced techniques for opening the doors of the van. They are using the locksmith keys and signal jamming equipment to deactivate the security. They split the Transit vans apart and sell them piece by piece as used parts.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Thomas is in charge of Operation Hewton. He said that their department is taking every action necessary to bring the criminals to justice. Police is working with the manufacturers, partners and neighbouring police forces to isolate the market that support the criminals and selling the stolen vans into parts.