Officers say the sites are a hotbed of vehicle crime

Police in Doncaster have visited targeted caravan sites as part of a multi-agency operation targeting organised vehicle crime, with five arrestes made.

Following briefings this morning (Wednesday) officers have carried out a series of searches at sites in Stocksbridge Lane, Little Lane and Moss Road as part of Operation Duxford.

A warrant was also executed at a caravan site, near Mexborough, and in the Bentley area of Doncaster as part of South Yorkshire Police’s continued efforts to tackle vehicle crime through Operation Spoke Alpha.

Five people have been arrested, with two detained on suspicion of handling stolen goods and three in custody for failing to appear before court.

Roads Policing Group officers have been on roads in Doncaster carrying out proactive patrols and stops and officers have been engaging with the public at pop-up stalls in Lakeside and Market Place.

Detective Inspector Leanne Hearnshaw said: "Vehicle crime causes real harm - not just to the people who wake up and find their car, van or motorbike gone, but to entire communities who are put at risk when stolen vehicles are driven recklessly and used to commit further offences.

"Vehicle theft is often linked to the activities of organised crime groups, and we've seen vehicles stolen and dismantled in illegal chop shops.

"That's why our officers work relentlessly all year round to gather intelligence on those involved in vehicle crime, pursue them and shut down the networks they are a part of.

"The criminals within these groups think they can operate with impunity but that couldn't be further from the truth and today's operation shows that if you're stealing vehicles and endangering the public, we will find you, we will disrupt your activities and we will protect our communities from harm."

Police will be releasing more updates from the operation throughout the week.

If you wish to report a crime to police please call the non-emergency 101 number. Always call 999 in an emergency and when a life is at risk. You can also report crime through the SYP website.

If you wish to report crime or concerns about crime anonymously, you can do so via the independent charity Crimestoppers on the freephone number 0800 555 111 or by visiting the Crimestoppers website.