NEARLY 100 on-the-run crime suspects were arrested in three weeks in a major new operation to hunt down wanted offenders.  

Kirklees Police’s newly-formed Catch and Control Team said it is keeping up the pressure on crime suspects as part of its Operation Tricehouse blitz.

The 96 people were arrested between March 7 and 25 on suspicion of 310 offences, including a number of arrests for offences against women.

Twenty of those caught and arrested were wanted for stalking and harassment style offences and 20 were dealt with for domestic matters.

The new Catch and Control Team has been formed as part of a shake-up of offender management in Kirklees.

It is a new resource provided to hunt down known offenders who refuse to engage with the terms of their bail or prison licence and show no signs of wanting to rehabilitate.

The team will also assist Kirklees Neighbourhood Policing Teams to manage priority crime and be on hand to swamp an area where a crime trend, such as break-ins or car thefts, looks to be emerging.

It will make use of investigative police work, high-tech tools such as ANPR, and impactful high visibility policing to sniff out offenders and also provide reassurance in communities.

Detective Inspector Dale Sawdon, who leads the Catch and Control Team, said: “When we launched this operation we made clear that our focus was to turn up the heat on those evading justice, and the number of arrests made show the impact it has had.

“There was also a real focus on those committing crimes against women, and this has been reflected in the dozens of arrests made by officers for offending of this kind.”

Superintendent Helen Brear of Kirklees District Police, added: “Although the operation has now concluded, the Catch and Control Team is out working in communities day in and day out with colleagues to monitor released prisoners, locate wanted offenders and provide support to colleagues in hotspot crime areas.

“More operations are planned in the coming weeks and months using specialist police equipment and tactics to help keep communities in Kirklees safer and keep the spotlight on those evading justice.”