POLICE have made arrests as part of an operation to crackdown on vehicle crime in the run up to Christmas.
Recent figures show an average of five cars are broken into every day in Darlington.
Operation Caesar aims to reduce this number by deploying a large number of dedicated police officers to patrol the town - on foot, bicycle, motorbikes and in cars.
Operation Caesar was launched on Wednesday, October 16.
On the first night of the operation, 16 extra dedicated officers were deployed in Darlington. That night, police arrested seven people on suspicion of committing vehicle crime.
PC Richard Laviolette said: "We saw a group of youths hanging around a car.
"We followed them unobserved on foot, in cars and on motorbikes. In Neasham Road we covered all their exit routes and watched as they broke into a car."
Inspector Chris Reeves, of Darlington community policing, said: "Vehicle crime in Darlington is unacceptable. We are going to be doing this operation until it comes down.
"There are people out there who are going around looking for vehicles and we want to let them know that we are out there hunting for them."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article