Police op tags dodgy drivers

10:22am Wednesday 11th July 2007

THREE people were arrested as part of a police crackdown on motorists misusing York and Selby's roads.

Officers began Operation Capable, a get-tough law-enforcement campaign aimed at cutting road casualties that focusses on drivers, vehicles, and the roads where crashes are most likely.

Traffic officers dealt with 20 offences yesterday - including two stolen vehicles - as part of the blitz.

They spent the day focusing on the A64, and targeting motorists using the high-tech Auto Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, which records the number plate of every vehicle and can check it against the police national computer within seconds.

Traffic Sergeant Graham Carroll said: "The A64 has the highest volume of traffic in our area and so allows us to target the largest number of vehicles in the shortest amount of time.

"If a vehicle is highlighted to us by ANPR as being of interest we will stop that vehicle.

"The technology has made a big difference to us. Traffic cops used to pick vehicles at random so you relied on the nose' of the officer. Years and years ago some used to play in-car snooker - before you pulled a blue car over you had to get a red one."

He said part of the operation was to educate drivers by giving out warnings.

He added: "Anything that can reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads is a bonus.

"Nobody wants to be involved in an accident with an uninsured driver."

Among the vehicles stopped yesterday were a gold Mitsubishi 4x4 that was uninsured and a black Volkswagen Golf, whose driver was wanted on suspicion of supplying drugs in another force area.

A silver Vauxhall Vectra from the Doncaster area was stopped because police suspected the driver was disqualified, while a black Ford Mondeo driver was suspected of having no insurance. In both those cases, the officers' fears proved unfounded.

The Press told last week how the operation was launched after 59 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads of York and Selby in the first four months of this year.

The operation will run for the rest of this year.

In the York area, officers will concentrate on roads with bad records for serious driver mistakes, including the A64 at Copmanthorpe Top, the A1237 between Hopgrove roundabout and Sand Hutton, and the A166 from Grimston Roundabout to Gate Helmsley.

In Selby, patrols and operations will focus on the A19 between Selby Bypass and Whitley Bridge, the B1222 from Cawood to the A612, and the A64 from Bramham to the A1237 York bypass.

Brought to book

Offences dealt with under Operation Capable yesterday:2 people arrested in a stolen car1 person arrested for taking a car without the owner's consent3 people dealt with for having no insurance7 people given tickets for not wearing seatbelts2 people given tickets for speeding2 people dealt with for driving without a licence1 person dealt with for having no MOT1 person dealt with for driving with defective breaks1 person prohibited from driving their vehicle because it was unroadworthy3 vehicles seized - one for no insurance, one believed to be stolen, and another taken without owner's consent