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More than 70 vehicles linked to crime have been taken off the roads in one area of North Yorkshire in the past month, say local police.

The North Yorkshire force is using handheld technology - rolled out to the Neighbourhood Policing and Response teams in Richmondshire last year - to identify vehicles linked to crime, as well as uninsured drivers.

A total of 413 vehicles have been seized by officers in the area since October 2023.

Police said seizing the vehicles was "a very effective way of stopping criminals" before they had a chance to commit any offence in the area.

As well as patrolling larger roads, such as the A66, officers focus on smaller rural routes known to be used by criminals.

Inspector Martin Metcalfe said: “Here in Richmondshire we patrol some of the most remote and sparsely-populated communities in northern England.

“So seizing vehicles linked to crime is a very effective way of stopping criminals who travel here, before they’ve even had chance to commit an offence.

“With the use of this technology, which my team and other officers can access through a mobile phone, we can identify potential criminals and other illegal road-users more quickly and on a wider scale.”

Insp Metcalfe added: “Because we’re mostly a rural area, some criminals think we’re a soft target. That couldn’t be further from the truth.

"In fact, cross-border criminals stand out to us, and we heavily patrol the routes we know they use.

"On top of that, we’re using technology that helps us identify them in an instant and is very difficult to evade."

Vehicles seized by police are taken to secure compounds where they are stored for a set amount of time.

Those that remain unclaimed are then likely to be crushed and recycled.

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