A THIEF who committed more than 40 burglaries and vehicle crimes in Ellesmere Port is behind bars after being trapped by a new police team.

Andrew Fettes, 18, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years in a Young Offenders' Institute at Chester Crown Court on Monday.

He admitted three burglaries and asked for a further 42 offences to be taken into consideration.

He was active in and around Ellesmere Port for a number of weeks until April 15, when he was captured after a chase in the town by the Western Area Proactive Policing Team.

Detective Inspector Andrew Southcott heads the unit, created as part of the force's restructuring programme.

He said: 'Our information showed us Ellesmere Port was experiencing an increase in burglaries and vehicle crime and the team quickly got on the case of finding out who was responsible.

'Forensic evidence, information from witnesses and other sources, and local knowledge of the officers, gave us a good idea of who was committing the offences and we soon got to work tracking Fettes down.'

DI Southcott added: 'Fettes has been a very active offender recently and I hope this jail term sends out some reassurance to the community.

'It should also send out a clear message to offenders that if you commit crime, you'll be targeted and dealt with positively by the police.

'The fact a relatively lengthy custodial sentence has been given to Fettes indicates the courts share this view.'

The PPT was formed earlier this year. Its officers work both under cover and in partnership with community action teams to tackle problems throughout Chester, Ellesmere Port and Vale Royal, which is the Western Area.

DI Southcott said: 'This result is a credit to the team.

'Weeks of hard work has gone into this case.

'This is just one example of what we can achieve and I'm confident it's the first excellent result of many more.'