POLICE officers are set to mount a special operation in the Oakridge area of Basing-toke in a move to crack down on a spate of car crime.

This Sunday, officers will be carrying out house-to-house enquiries in the town suburb as part of their efforts to gather information that will help them bring the car crime culprits to justice.

The move follows a recent increase in thefts involving cars, motorcycles and mopeds.

Since September 1 there have been 55 incidents of motor vehicle thefts in Basingstoke, compared with 29 incidents last year.

Since October 1, 23 cars, vans and motorcycles have been stolen - six of them from the Oakridge area.

Four police officers will visit Mullins Close and Jefferson Road on Sunday and will be appealing for information from the local residents.

Chief Inspector Bob Bell said: "The purpose of these house-to-house enquiries is to prevent further vehicle crime and identify those people responsible for committing the crimes."

"Within the next two years, the police at Basingstoke will be working to reduce all crime by 25 per cent.

"One way of doing this is by targeting hotspots, such as this one, to reduce the crime and make the area as safe as possible.

"This is not only a problem for the police but also for the local community, who need to work with us to bring these people to justice."

Anyone with information which could help the crack down on car crime is urged to call Basingstoke Crime Desk on 0845 045 4545, or the free, anonymous Crimestoppers line on 0800 555 111.