In Northern Ireland, PSNI officers involved in the car hi-jacking taskforce, otherwise known as Op Ruscio, have made over 90 arrests for a wide range of offences and conducted over 20 searches of properties since the operation began in mid January 2012.
Chief Superintendent Alan McCrum, said: “On any given day we have between 45 and 60 extra officers on the ground, who are dedicated to working on Operation Ruscio. Not only is their presence providing a visible reassurance, but they are proactively challenging a wide range of criminal behaviour, as ultimately those involved in car crime, do not focus their offending on one particular crime type.
“The fact that officers have made over 90 arrests is a clear indication of the progress that has been made. The spike in the number of incidents which was experienced during January has diminished with five hijacking incidents and two attempted hijacking incidents recorded during the month of February. This reduction is clearly linked to the work of police on the ground.”
Arrest breakdown
Theft – 9
Robbery – 7
Disqualified Driving – 2
Assault – 6
Burglary – 7
Hijacking / Attempted Hijacking – 18
Taking and Driving Away – 5
Warrant – 21
Drink Driving (Excess Alcohol) – 2
Blackmail – 1
Possession of Drugs – 5
Going Equipped for Theft – 1
Criminal Damage – 2
Rape – 1
Dangerous Driving 1
Breach of Bail – 3
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Chief Inspector Alan Little discusses the investigations: “Police have made 18 arrests, specifically in relation to hijacking and attempted hijacking. On Thursday 23 February, we released four evofits and provided details of three vehicles which are still outstanding following recent car hijackings and announced details of a dedicated enquiry line, 0800 028 1111.
“I’m glad to say that information which we have received via the dedicated enquiry line has been extremely useful. It has allowed us to progress our investigations into a number of incidents. I would strongly encourage anyone who may have information to ring the enquiry line on 0800 028 1111. The service is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
Det Chief Inspector Little adds: “We have also uploaded several short updates onto www.youtube.com, to allow people who may wish to access information online, in their own time, the opportunity to do so. To assist people, who may be searching for these, the #carhijacking has been attached to the recordings.”
