Police and Trading Standards Officers in North Ayrshire joined forces recently as part of a national enforcement and awareness initiative.

Operation Rogue Trader is an annual week of activity co-ordinated by Operation Liberal, the national distraction burglary intelligence unit, the Trading Standards Institute (TSI) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

Across the UK, police forces, Trading Standards officials and partner agencies have undertaken a wide range of work to identify and arrest rogue traders, to disrupt the activity of rogue trading and to make communities aware of this type of crime.

That includes everything from carrying out works vehicle checks and delivering crime prevention messages.

On the morning of Friday, April 11 a vehicle check was set up at Dalry Road, Kilwinning which resulted in 45 vehicles being stopped, three vehicles being seized by Police and six persons reported to the Procurator Fiscal for alleged road traffic offences.

PC Jason Peter, Safer Communities at Police Scotland, commented: “Throughout the year Police and Trading Standards officers in North Ayrshire work together to target rogue traders. This event provides an opportunity for us to highlight our work and raise awareness of our activities to keep people safe”.

Anyone with information on crime in local communities should contact Police Scotland by calling 101 (always dial 999 in an emergency) or call CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity is guaranteed. Trading Standards can also be contacted for consumer advice by calling 01294 310100.