A GWENT-wide crack-down on car criminals was launched today - an operation being run in conjunction with our Car Safe campaign.

Operation Maple will target known offenders in problem areas and has a prime objective to drive down car crime figures.

Statistics reveal Newport has had a staggering 83.7 per cent increase in car thefts for the first quarter of 2003 compared to the same period of 2002.

And there was a 89.2 per cent increase in thefts from cars for the same period.

Alway in Newport had the most worrying results with an increase of 162 per cent for car theft.

Across Gwent as a whole, there was an increase of 57.2 per cent in car theft.

Deputy Chief Constable Bryan Davies is confident that Operation Maple will play a major role in reducing car crime levels.

He said: "These initiatives will allow us to better understand the causes of these crimes, clearly identify crime hotspots and community difficulties."

Operation Maple will allocate resources to each of the divisions across the force to help tackle car crime.

Community safety initiatives will raise public awareness of car security and crime prevention.

A vehicle crime scene investigation team will operate in key areas and aims to investigate 100 per cent of all car crime scenes, including attempted thefts.

And two police officers who were injured during the arrest of a car thief are also backing our bid to fight back against car criminals.

PC Steve Jenkins was dragged along with the stolen vehicle for 20 yards before it smashed into a police car on Clifton Road, Newport.

The collision left another officer, PC Steve Glynne, in agony as his leg was trapped between the two vehicles and his head was smashed through the glass of the driver's door window.

The two were involved in the arrest of John Ley, 20, who on July 22 was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court to nine months in a young offenders' institution.

Ley, of Hendre Farm Drive, Ringland, Newport, admitted charges of aggravated vehicle taking, dangerous driving, causing actual bodily harm and driving while disqualified and without insurance.

The Argus, as part of our car crime campaign, asked the two officers to speak about their ordeal to highlight the dangers caused by vehicle theft.

PC Jenkins, 29, said: "It all happened in seconds and I didn't think about it while it was happening.

"I was dragged along for 20 yards before we hit the police car. It wasn't until Ley ran off and I caught him that I realised I was bleeding. When I was in hospital afterwards I realised how much worse it could have been.

"Hopefully his sentence will act as a deterrent to others."

PC Jenkins, a father-of-one from Blackwood, received severe swelling and bruising to his left arm and cuts to his left hand.

He had approached Ley, who was in a red Vauxhall car on May 18, after police were told someone was trying to steal it.

Ley was trying to "hot wire" the vehicle and refused to get out of the car.

PC Jenkins smashed the window and was trying to pull Ley from the vehicle when it was slammed into reverse and sped backwards.

The officer was trapped in the open car door window and was dragged along the ground.

Police dog handler PC Glynne, a married father-of-two, parked his Ford Mondeo estate car in front of Ley to try to stop his escape. As he was climbing into his own vehicle the stolen Vauxhall slammed into the door.

He said: "I'm more or less back to full fitness, but if it had been a split second earlier my career would have ended.'

PC Glynne, from Newport, was on sick leave for six weeks. He had a badly bruised ankle where the door of his vehicle slammed against his leg and his head was cut when it smashed into the car door window.