DETECTIVES have carried out a massive blitz on car crime as they stepped up their Operation Cobra campaign.

A mountain of car stereos have been seized in a series of police raids at second-hand shops across Southampton.

Details of the operation were revealed today as part of a high profile police anti-car crime campaign backed by the Daily Echo.

Five people have also been arrested as Operation Cobra - a three-year war on car crime led by Southampton police - stepped up a pace.

Police hailed the raids a success after seizing hi-fi equipment running into tens of thousands of pounds - and said more arrests were likely to follow.

Detective Inspector Gary O'Flaherty, a leading member of the Operation Cobra team, said: "It has been a good pro-active week resulting in a sizeable seizure of property and a number of arrests.

"The operation has demonstrated to us that there are identifiable places where this type of property is being disposed of.

"This week has also proved a useful intelligence-gathering operation which we hope will lead to future arrests.

"We are confident the lines of inquiry will lead us to reducing the number of persons committing this kind of crime across the city."

Police seized 98 stereos, a mobile phone and a large quantity of documentation during a raid at Just ICE used car hi-fi specialists in Shirley Road, Shirley. Two people were arrested following the raid.

Another 15 car stereos were seized from the Woolston Pavilion second-hand dealers in Victoria Road, Woolston, along with a selection of power tools, a Sony computer games system and Apple lap-top computer.

Police said the second, smaller haul alone was worth in the region of £4,000 to £5,000. Three people were arrested in connection with the Woolston raid.

Some stolen property has already been returned to its rightful owners but police admit they will struggle to trace many items unless people can prove possession with a serial number or identifying mark.

Altogether 20 uniform, CID and specialist officers took part in the citywide operation, which marked the launch of Operation Cobra's pro-active initiatives. Police in Southampton city centre have also stepped up patrols this week at car crime hotspots such as St Mary's and Newtown.

Detectives stressed a series of other projects were already in the pipeline, all designed to rid Southampton's streets of car crime. In the first half of this year alone, around 1,700 vehicles were broken into across Southampton and another 770 were stolen.

Operation Cobra, a joint initiative between Hampshire police, Southampton City Council and the Daily Echo, is now in its fourth month.

The massive blitz is designed to slash the city's crime statistics using police operations, undercover surveillance, enhanced CCTV usage and increased patrols.

Motorists are also being asked to do their bit by displaying a unique Car Safe Scheme laminated card whenever they park to show thieves there are no valuables inside the vehicle.

The distinctive yellow and black cards are available free from Bitterne, Southampton Central, Portswood and Shirley police stations, Southampton Civic Centre, Daily Echo branch offices and selected newsagents.

Victims of car crime who can identify their stolen property through either a serial number or specific feature should call crime reduction officer Pc Nigel Horton at Shirley police station or the pro-active team at Bitterne police station, both on 0845 045 4545.

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