BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Car thieves targetted but few arrests

Detectives mounted an undercover operation targetting car thieves as Sunday's major soccer clash took place in Cardiff.

Arsenal and Liverpool played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium in the Community Shield - the traditional curtain-raiser to the football season, formerly known as the Charity Shield.

It was a chance to see starts like Michael Owen

South Wales Police decided to learn from last year's experiences and keep a particular eye on car crime.

When Liverpool beat Manchester United in the city in 2001, police saw a large rise in car crime, with 10 more cars stolen than the usual daily average.

Calculating thieves preyed on cars owned by fans who they knew would spend several hours away after parking their vehicles.

This year police were determined to combat theft and mounted a specific operation against would-be thieves.

After the match - won by Arsenal - South Wales Police said there had been relatively little trouble, with just seven arrests:

Three men - two from London and one from Liverpool - were cautioned for ticket touting.

A man from Cardiff was charged in relation to ticket touting and bailed to appear before magistrates on 16 August

A Liverpool fan from Manchester was arrested for a public order offence.

An Arsenal fan from Brixton, London, was arrested by football intelligence officers in connection with an earlier offence.

A 19-year-old Cardiff man was arrested in connection with the car crime initiative.

Although renowned as a rugby venue, the Cardiff stadium has emerged as the UK's premier venue for staging football finals.

A near-capacity, 66,000-strong crowd - many of them family groups - flocked to the stadium on Sunday to see the household names like World Cup hero Michael Owen.

Like last year's Charity Shield match, this year's event passed off with few problems involving rival fans.

Last year, two police officers were injured during scuffles involving soccer fans in the city centre on the eve of the match.

St Mary's Street in Cardiff
Large areas of Cardiff were closed to traffic

There were also disturbances the previous night. A total of 15 people - the majority from Cardiff and other areas of south Wales - were arrested.

Two were arrested for assault, three for drug-related offences and 10 for public order offences.

Some fans hoping to travel by train to Cardiff from valleys stations faced frustration on Sunday.

Valley Lines said the line between Pontypridd and Radyr had to be closed for work by Railtrack.

Motorists advised

A points failure at Bristol Parkway meant trains carrying football supporters to Cardiff ran late

Sunday motorists were advised to avoid four junctions of the M4 as fans descended on Cardiff.

Visiting fans were directed to specially-designated park-and-rides schemes.

As usual with major sporting events, large areas of the city centre were cordoned off.


	Links to more Wales stories