A man has been arrested following an alleged distraction robbery, as part of an operation by a newly formed highways policing unit.

West Midlands Police said a van driver was arrested in Wolverhampton after he was believed to have been involved in the theft of thousands of pounds from an elderly person.

He was arrested and cash was recovered as a result of the new team’s work, police said.

They added that, as part of the broader operation carried out during the unit’s first month, they also seized weapons and drugs.

Superintendent Gareth Mason said police teams had been tasked with targeting criminals using the road network to focus on tackling organized and serious crime, as well as reducing the leading causes of serious and fatal accidents.

The force said it would also use smaller, high-performance unmarked vehicles for the first time.

Recent successes include the seizure of a knife and Class A drugs after a stolen Ford Focus was chased in Coventry, and the arrest of a VW Golf which was stolen during a carjacking and found driving with cloned plates in Erdington, the police said.