Police have arrested 16 suspects on suspicion of car theft during the first week of an operation targeting keyless vehicle theft.

Operation Endeavour was launched by the Metropolitan Police in response to a rise in theft of motor vehicles. Organised criminals increasingly stealing keyless vehicles using a device which bypasses the vehicle's electronics, allowing them to steal them without the owner's key.

Last Thursday, traffic cops from the Met and neighbouring forces monitored 20 arterial roads, stopping vehicles believed to have been stolen or linked to other crimes. They seized 222 vehicles, two of which were believed stolen during the operation, codenamed "Lockdown", which formed part of the wider Operation Endeavour exercise.

Meanwhile, the Territorial Support Group has stepped up efforts to trace wanted vehicle suspects. As well as the 16 people arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, a further 68 people were arrested for offences including possession of offensive weapons, burglary, money laundering and driving while disqualified.

Police have distributed 30,000 flyers to motorists across London featuring advice on how to avoid being a victim of keyless vehicle theft.

Five Land Rover Range Rovers and hundreds of vehicle parts were seized during raids at the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk as part of Operation Endeavour.

 Seven containers filled with cars and vehicle parts believed stolen were examined. In one container, bikes, also believed stolen, were packed around vehicle parts, which police think were nicked and destined for sale abroad.

The five Range Rovers were found in containers destined for Kenya. Hundreds of vehicle parts including engines were also found in the containers destined for Cyprus. Police reckon the parts – some of which appear to belong to 12 BMWs reported as stolen from east London – would have been exported from Cyprus to other countries for sale.

Enquiries and searches are ongoing. No one has been arrested following last week’s raid on the container port in Felixstowe.

In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Carl Bussey, lead for Operation Endeavour, said: "We began opening the containers on Tuesday. They are so jammed with cars and vehicle parts that we are still extracting the contents.

"In one container, bikes, also believed stolen, were packed around vehicle parts to disguise the true contents of the container from any inspectors.

"I launched Operation Endeavour by emphasising the need for drivers to secure their vehicles in order to try [to] prevent keyless vehicle theft. This, combined with the joint enforcement work with our colleagues in the Home Counties and AVCIS [ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service], will help us reduce vehicle theft and arrest the organised criminals behind it."