Police target gangs and suspect vehicles in Goldthorpe

POLICE were on patrol in the Dearne Valley yesterday tackling criminal gangs and dodgy vehicles.

Operation Voyager was run in Goldthorpe, where officers, along with partner agencies, carried out checks and stopped vehicles of interest.

Police community support officers were also out offering crime prevention advice in Wombwell and Darfield.

Sgt Rich Darby said the operation was “all about making our communities feel confident about the work that we are doing on their doorstep”.

He added “Our officers have been out and about disrupting criminal gangs, gathering intelligence and working with our partners to tackle road offences.

“This is very much part of what we do on a day-to-day basis however today we are pulling our resources together to focus on hotspot areas.”

A section of land opposite Goldthorpe Police Station was set up as a temporary site to carry out vehicle checks, and scrap metal vehicles were searched to check that they were legal and licenced.

Sgt Darby added: “Intelligence shows that criminals use the road networks to commit offences and move from one location to another.

“Many of these vehicles don’t have the correct documentation or licences and are not in a road-worthy condition.”

Neighbourhood and road policing teams worked on the operation with officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Department for Work and Pensions and Barnsley Council. 

Details of the results of the operation are expected to be released later in the week.