Anti-vehicle crime team proves a success
The number of reports of container trailer thefts made to the New Territories North Region had dropped by 51 per cent since the establishment of the Regional Anti-Vehicle Crime Team (RAVCT) last September.
Chief Inspector Mr David Wan Tat-wai told OffBeat there had also been a 15.4 per cent decline in the number of reports of missing vehicles, from 292 in the fourth quarter of 2001 to 247 in the fourth quarter of 2002.
The RAVCT, comprising 25 experienced police officers from the Regional Crime Unit Team Two with the support of uniform counterparts in New Territories North, Customs and Excise Department and law enforcement agencies on the Mainland, was established to stem the growth of theft of or from vehicle in the area.
Since container trailer was also a major target for thieves, operations were mounted at boundary control points to check trailers leaving for the Mainland in a bid to have a deterrent effect and to reduce trailer thefts.
Apart from conducting special operations targeted at vehicle crime syndicates, the RAVCT has also organised regular operations with the Police Tactical Unit, patrolled blackspots for vehicle-related thefts such as car parks and garages to recover lost vehicles and to collect intelligence.
Earlier, Regional Commander New Territories North Mr Chung Hiu-pang commended 10 police officers in the Region for their tenacity, professional ability and devotion to duty during an intelligence-based operation codenamed Batfield conducted between May and August 2002 against a sophisticated vehicle theft syndicate targeting luxury vehicles in Hong Kong for smuggling to the Mainland and South East Asia.
In the operation, the officers neutralised the syndicate and recovered four luxury vehicles worth a total of $3.75 million. Meanwhile, six other officers were commended for their dedicated efforts in significantly reducing the number of vehicle theft cases in the region.
Mr Wan said: "The RAVCT would continue to map out new strategies and to conduct operations targeting at the theft of luxury and high performance vehicles and container tractors and trailers." 
Regional Anti-Vehicle Crime Team makes their mark