Operation Alliances recovers stolen vehicles worth £2.6m
Stolen vehicles valued at a combined £2.6m have been recovered during a nationwide operation targeting organised vehicle crime.
The third Operation Alliances recovered 319 stolen vehicles while also uncovering eight chop shops and disrupting 20 organised crime groups.
More than 300 vehicle parts worth over £100,000 were also seized, as well as cloned registration plates, relay devices, key programmers, number plate printers, signal jammers and lock-picking equipment.
The week-long operation, which was led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council, included more than 280 stop and searches and over 50 charges.
Assistant chief constable Sarah Grahame, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, said: “The results of the third Operation Alliances demonstrate what can be achieved when police forces and our partners work together, sharing intelligence and targeting our resources where they can have the greatest impact.
“Vehicle crime is not a low-level crime with minimal consequences. It affects people and communities every day and, as the range of arrests during this operation demonstrates, is often linked to other serious offending.
“Police recorded vehicle offences decreased by 11% in the year ending March 2026, but we cannot be complacent. People’s daily lives and livelihoods are being affected while criminals profit from their actions, and that simply cannot be tolerated.
“Police forces are tackling organised vehicle crime every day across the country, but it is a complex challenge due to the highly organised, global nature of the offending. Operation Alliances allows us to bring that work together on a national scale, build on it and send a clear message to offenders: together we will be relentless in our pursuit of those responsible.”
