Hertfordshire Constabulary is working with a local garage to offer drivers of diesel light commercial vehicles free catalytic converter marking.
The theft of catalytic converters has been one type of crime that has been rising, due to the high price of metal in recent years. Marking the converters makes it much easier for the police to trace where stolen units came from, and therefore make them much less appealing to would-be thieves.
Welham Green Service Station has kindly agreed to provide the marking service free of charge from Monday January 28th - running for two weeks. The garage will be able to mark catalytic converters fitted to diesel-engined, light commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle mass of up to 3.5 tonnes.
Anyone interested should call the garage in advance to arrange an appointment; the marking only takes about 10 minutes. Welham Green Service Station, Dellsome Lane, Welham Green, Hatfield AL9 7NF, telephone: 01707 267100.
Inspector Paul Lawrence of the Crime Reduction Unit said:
“The thieves have been targeting catalytic converters, particularly from diesel vans, over the last couple of months, because these units contain precious metals and can be relatively easy to remove.
“Marking the converters makes them much less appealing to thieves, as they can easily be traced back to where they were stolen from. We are now working with reputable scrap metal dealers across the county who routinely record who they buy metal from, so we have a good chance of catching the person that stole the unit.”

For further information on car security or general crime prevention advice visit: www.herts.police.uk.