Roadside checks will target travelling criminals entering County Durham and Darlington on the run-up to Christmas.
The patrols, which start this week and will continue regularly over the coming months, will happen across the county.
Specialist equipment will help officers identify the vehicles of known offenders, who will be targeted, along with any uninsured vehicles in the area.
Chief Inspector Mick Bird said: “We know that on the run-up to Christmas criminals travel into County Durham and Darlington to offend, particularly to shoplift.
“We want to send a very clear message that we know who they are, we will be watching out for them and we will be actively targeting them throughout the coming months.
“We are also very aware that there are vehicles on our roads that are not insured.
“Those individuals put other road users at risk, they send insurance premiums up and they are more likely to be involved in collisions.
“We also know that in many cases, uninsured drivers are linked to criminality.
“We will be using all the technology at our disposal to seek these motorists out and remove them from the roads.”
