Police across the Isle of Wight were joined by the mainland-based Roads Policing Unit (RPU) to discretely target criminals using the Island’s road network on Good Friday.
Part of the work involved taking action against road-related crime, but the focus was on other high harm criminality such as identifying vehicles involved in drugs supply, with deployment of in-car ANPR cameras.
Throughout Good Friday, officers carried out the following work:
- 13,257 vehicles were read by the team’s in-car ANPR cameras
- 218 manual vehicle checks were carried out
- Approximately 45 manual person checks were carried out
- 8 vehicles were searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act. 3 of these were as a result of markers on the vehicles, indicating they were registered to people of interest to the police. The other 5 vehicle checks were self-initiated by officers.
- Approximately 30 vehicles were stopped by officers and checked for document offences and roadworthiness
- 1 man was arrested for drug driving under Section 5a of the Road Traffic Act
- 1 vehicle was seized for no insurance
- 1 vehicle was seized for failing to stop for police
- 1 driver was given a ticket for not wearing a seat belt
- 1 driver was given a ticket for having a faulty exhaust
- 5 drivers were warned about vehicle faults
Chief Inspector Alex Charge has said:
“We know that Islanders have concerns about the misuse of our road networks on the Isle of Wight.
“We have listened to these concerns, and taken action to target criminals and protect motorists.
“The teams across the Island conduct a lot of hard work to tackle drugs supply, including executing warrants and seizing drugs during address searches and stop checks, but it’s important to note that the roads play a significant part in this type of criminality.
Article continues below this advertisement “I am grateful for the efforts of the teams both here on the Island and the additional resource from the mainland in proactively targeting vehicles involved in this.
“This work has also increased our opportunity to clamp down on dangerous driving habits and vehicle-related offences. We regularly conduct campaigns relating to the ‘Fatal Four’ driving behaviours that put motorists at risk of serious and fatal collision – these are drink/drug driving, speeding, driving without a seatbelt and driving whilst using a mobile phone.
“We are committed to working in partnership to improve road safety for all drivers on the Isle of Wight, and I want to reassure Islanders that this work continues alongside our other policing priorities.”
Bloody good job. Keep up the good work. Too many have been getting away with too much for too long.
It’s also nice to know, this was all done without any warning. I think it’s called a Covert Operation!!! LOL Catch more of the Bugg*rs that way.
So many vehicles driving around the Island with NO MOT’S
Or Brains
Why is this comment voted down? It’s very true.
Do you have a gift, the gift of telling that there are so many vehicles driving around the island with no MoT’s?
Well done Guys n Girls, cracking start more to follow maybe??
Need to start checking Motorists driving with out of date MOT
Make Roads safe.
Do road checks
What and why do you keep going on and on about MOT’s.
Do you get some sort of fettish out of it. Or are you just a wanna be copper who got rejected ?
Why do you keep on commenting when you have absolutely nothing useful to say?
And you guys do !
All most of you do is state the f’n obvious.
Sometimes it is good to play devils advocate. Bit less BORING. Innit ?
One person arrested for drug driving? Come on! Not exactly going to deter anyone. How many times do non drug taking drivers encounter the smell of canabis coming from other vehicles on their travels. Every day I suggest!
Yes everyday, esp in morning on way to Newport or they drive around towns like Ventnor and Sandown. Why so few caught,just do some DVLA and Insurance checks yourself and be surprised how many you can find on the street and supermarket car parks. Why don’t PCSOs do some checking ?.
I can only assume u are not really checking other peoples cars ?
Yes a good days work, but needs to be on a daily basis if road crime is ever going to be brought down.