POLICE say they arrested a man in the process of selling off a “a large amount” of stolen goods from a lock-up in Newent.

The arrest was made by officers in what Gloucestershire Police are calling a “Vanguard” unit.

The three units – one of which is in the Forest – are “dedicated to going after the worst criminals on their patch.”

The police say they have “already put some of the most prolific wanted people, suspected burglars and drug dealers behind bars in their first month of duty.”

Among the other Vanguard successes from around the county was the arrest of two men following a ram raid at a Lydney jewellers.

They are among 20 arrests made by the units, who are also assisting colleagues responding to incidents.

Assistant chief constable Craig Holden said: “Thanks to increased recruitment over the last two years, we’re now in a position to create these local proactive teams and ensure a stronger focus on solving the crimes that impact on your local communities.

“We expect these officers to be the teeth of our local policing areas, the tip of the spear.

“They have a very clear objective and that’s to apprehend and convict criminals.

“We expect the Vanguard teams to be breathing down the necks of those we know cause the most damage and harm in our communities.

“It is time for burglars, drug dealers and other recidivist criminals to be looking over their shoulders.

“Each local superintendent will have the autonomy to direct their team to address the crime types most affecting their communities – that could be burglaries or other acquisitive crime, gang-related violence or drugs.

“We want to have the maximum impact.

“The proof of this will come through action – we will relay the results to the local community at every opportunity and through every channel and we hope the Vanguard name will become synonymous with policing excellence.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said: “Driving down crime and keeping people safe is the reason I stood to become Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner.

“I promised more police officers on our streets to help make that vision a reality, and I’m very pleased to see that commitment has led to the creation of these excellent, highly specialised teams, that are tackling our more dangerous local criminals.

“I’m a huge, huge fan of these Vanguard teams, and I’m very impressed by the results they’ve already secured in just one month.

“These highly experienced officers are focusing on the problems that blight local communities, catching, convicting and disrupting the criminals that are making lives a misery for victims and residents.

“I want them to send a message to residents that we care about the issues in their community, and a message to criminals, that you can expect to meet these teams very, very soon.”