Police have arrested five people from the Keighley area as part of a major crackdown on car theft.

Officers swooped last Thursday as part of the Keep Yor-Keys Safe initiative - a cross border operation run by North and West Yorkshire Police to hit car thieves targeting homes and stealing high powered cars.

In a major day of activity 12 people were arrested in Keighley, Leeds and Bradford.

The arrests followed an operation the previous Sunday evening when high visibility police vehicles carried out selected vehicle checks in North and West Yorkshire in a bid to stop criminals moving around the area.

The aim of the Yor-keys campaign is to stop giving criminals an easy ride by leaving the keys to good quality cars lying around the house.

Detective Chief Inspector Roger Gasson of Keighley police says: "What we want to get across to the public is that you must look after your car keys - when you get home make sure you lock the door and keep your keys out of view.

"If you look after your keys your car will look after itself."

He adds: "Thursday's operation was a great success, and such initiatives will continue in earnest to crack down on this type of burglary which targets high-powered, expensive vehicles."

People who own garages are also encouraged to use them.

The increase in this kind of theft has been linked to improved car security and the use of sophisticated alarms and immobilisers.

* A 17-year-old youth from Keighley has been charged with burglary and deception and a 48-year-old man, also from Keighley, has been charged with burglary. They have been remanded on police bail.

An 18-year-old man and a 16-year-old youth from Keighley were arrested on suspicion of burglary, and a 24-year-old man from Keighley was arrested on suspicion of theft of a vehicle without the owner's consent. They have been released on bail pending further inquiries.