AN undercover police operation to catch a gang of purse snatchers in Skipton has resulted in the deportation of three illegal immigrants.

The three were among a group of four Polish gypsies arrested in the town on Friday. They were put on a plane back to Poland on Sunday by immigration officials.

Police believe they were responsible for a big increase in the number of purses stolen, mainly from elderly women, in Skipton. The police have been running a major operation to catch the thieves over the last few weeks using undercover officers and the closed circuit cameras in the town.

They identified a pattern to the crimes. They tended to occur on a Friday and often took place in a charity shop.

Working undercover, police were keeping an eye on two women suspects when they noticed they too were being watched and followed by two men. The four were arrested and detained and it became clear that three had entered the country illegally. The fourth's papers were in order.

No evidence of any stolen purses was found.

Insp Tad Nowakowski said that he suspected the two women were pickpockets and the men were "minders" there to step in and protect them if anything went wrong.

Insp Nowakowski, of Polish descent himself, acted as an interpreter. He said the four were obstructive when questioned.

They told the police that they had arrived in Skipton on a bus, but were proved to have a car.

Insp Nowakowski said while there was no evidence that the four were responsible for the mini crime wave, it was significant that for the first time in some weeks there had been no reports of stolen purses.

However he said the police would continue to monitor the situation and urged people, especially the elderly, to make sure that they took good care of their purses.