It is estimated that one thousand vans are stolen in the UK every month. In this episode Derbyshire Traffic Cops target criminals stealing vans, banned drivers in vans and thieves in vans on the run.
With a clampdown on gangs stealing vans to order, officers are on the hunt for a transit van taken without keys from a driveway. But, with the suspects changing number plates to disguise the stolen vehicle, it makes tracking it down much harder, even with four police units and a helicopter in hot pursuit.
Following a tip-off about a suspected disqualified driver, officers search for and arrest the driver of a van who, when questioned, says he has no recollection of being disqualified.
Near Derby, officers respond to a report of a ram raid and hunt down a suspected stolen van. Following a short pursuit with the van, the driver is arrested for a stack of other offences, including driving the van illegally and possession of drugs.
In the Midlands, three men in a stolen transit van are captured on CCTV stealing thousands of pounds worth of cable drums. Officers race to intercept the van which appears to be driving in convoy with another car also thought to be linked to the theft.
And officers on the lookout for suspect work vans spot a disqualified driver with a host of driving bans who was using a work van to escape detection from police cameras.
