PLANS by police to target prolific car criminals are to be welcomed.

Operation Spartacus aims to reduce the number of people falling prey to these thieves through high-profile initiatives.

These include Chief Inspector Damian Darcy writing warning letters to known offenders, to tell them that officers know who they are and where they live.

Intelligence-led search warrants will also be used to find stolen property and hotspot areas will be monitored using overt and covert methods.

One tactic being used is to have ‘sting’ vehicles deployed throughout the area to catch the crimals red- handed. To some, car crime might seem to be a minor offence, but you only have to ask any victim about the pain and distress it can cause to know action needs to be taken.

And that doesn’t even take into account the financial cost of having your vehicle broken into and your personal possessions stolen.

Motorists, though, can also help themselves not to become a victim of crime.

According to Mr Darcy, half of all thefts from cars happen because the owner has left them unlocked.

And then there are the tempting items left on full display which should have been locked away in the boot or glove compartment.

Let us hope that this latest operation combined with motorists being more aware of vehicle crime helps beat these criminals.