Twenty people were arrested as part of a three-week operation between Gwent Police and the British Transport Police to tackle metal thefts.
During September officers from both forces set up the first joint metal theft task force.
Over a three-week period, police reported a reduction in metal theft.
Twenty people were arrested for offences including cable theft, theft of diesel, metal theft, drug offences, breaching a court order, obstructing police and being a failed asylum seeker, driving while disqualified and drink-driving.
Vehicles worth more than £100,000 were impounded in the operation and 23 people reported for driving without a licence.
In addition, 14 people were reported for failing to keep appropriate records of metal sales.
In a statement, BTP said: “Over the three-week period, the work carried out contributed to a massive reduction in metal theft and other aspects of criminality.
“Most notably, not a single metal theft took place in the Rhymney Valley, which had always been an area where metal thefts had caused severe disruption to the railway.”
Other results included:
15 loads of scrap metal were seized to the value of £1,794.10.23
23 people reported for driving without insurance
22 people reported for driving without a licence
26 vehicles seized under section 165 of the Road Traffic Act
This seems to be a positve result against these thieves, well done Gwent and Transport police forces. The thieves cause criminal damage, misery and cost the community huge amounts of money.
I was talking to a man in New Tredegar this week who told me his local church had been robbed of its lead, at a cost of £7,000 a time, so often in the last couple of years that the church could no longer insure against this type of theft.
Let us hope that the courts deal very harshly with those found guilty.