Police have now secured evidence of more than 20 stolen cars passing through a chop shop officers uncovered in the Black Country earlier this month.
Officers found the chop shop at an industrial site off Station Drive, Brierley Hill, on 10 February after a Ford Fiesta taken the previous day was spotted outside.
Inside the unit was bodyshells from several cars, including another Fiesta stolen in Coventry on 3 February, a BMW taken in Wolverhampton the following day, and a Skoda Octavia stolen in Leicestershire on New Year’s Eve.
But police investigations have now revealed evidence that at least 22 stolen cars have been taken there to be dismantled.
One of them was a Mercedes 180 AMG robbed at knifepoint from a woman in Wolverhampton on 23 November last year.
There was nothing left of the vehicle – but our eagle-eyed vehicle examiner recovered a partially-charred school ID badge belonging to the owner, a teacher, from an oil drum that had been used as a fire pit.
And that helped us track down the victim and open up new lines of enquiry.
It’s one of the biggest chop shops police have identified in recent months.
Police have found parts linked to 10 Ford Fiestas and five BMWs; most were stolen in our region but one Fiesta was taken in Cannock, Staffordshire, on 28 October last year.
Vehicle theft has increased by 37 per cent in the last year and WMP suspect many of them end up in chop shops where they are dismantled for parts.
Police are urging people to support our car crime campaign by reporting any suspicious behaviour at garages or industrial units that could indicate they’re acting as chop shops.
A 34-year-old man remains on bail while our investigation progresses.