UK: Operation Tornado operating in almost all of north of England

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The scheme that aims to reduce metal theft is now operational in almost all of the north of England.

Operation Tornado was recently rolled out in the north west of England, to match the introduction of the scheme already in much of the north east and Yorkshire. It will be introduced in the rest of England by the autumn of this year.

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As a result, anyone selling scrap metal to participating dealers will be required to provide proof of identity with either a photo card driving licence including an address, passport or national ID card supported by a recent utility bill.

It has been introduced in all five north west police force areas including Cheshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Greater Manchester, and Merseyside.

Cheshire Police chief inspector Darren Hebden said: “The ongoing policing operation to combat metal theft has already met with success in Cheshire and led to a significant number of prosecutions. By having the cooperation of scrap dealers as part of Operation Tornado, we are effectively disrupting and deterring those criminals who approach dealers with stolen metal to make a quick profit.

“We hope the introduction of these measures will restrict the sale and movement of stolen metal. It has been designed not to inhibit those dealers that operate lawfully, but to remove unscrupulous dealers who operate outside the law.”