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RURAL CRIME TEAM – OPERATIONAL UPDATE
On 16th October officers from Warwickshire Police Rural Crime Team joined forces with colleagues from the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) and HMRC for a multi-agency operation in the Exhall and Bedworth area.
The aim?
To target vehicles operating on our roads, checking their roadworthiness, compliance with legislation and whether operators held the appropriate licences for the work they were undertaking, including the carriage of waste.
We deployed a mixture of marked and unmarked police vehicles, along with an addition to our operational capabilities on two wheels!
Let's just say that trying to avoid the attention of a police car becomes considerably more difficult when there's a police motorcycle in the mix!
So, how did we get on?
During the operation: 22 vehicles were stopped and checked.
6 drivers were issued with Traffic Offence Reports for a variety of offences, including:
- Insecure loads
- Driving without due care and attention
- Using a mobile phone whilst driving
- Overweight Vehicle
DVSA issued 4 delayed prohibition notices in relation to defective vehicles, requiring the owners or operators to rectify the identified faults within the specified timescales to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy.
DVSA also issued 3 fixed penalty notices for offences identified during their inspections.
Why does this matter?
This isn't simply about stopping vans and lorries to have a look around.
Vehicles carrying insecure loads, operating in a dangerous condition or being driven by motorists distracted by their phones pose a genuine risk to everyone using our roads.
Likewise, ensuring waste carriers are operating legally is an important part of tackling the wider issues surrounding illegal waste disposal and fly-tipping across Warwickshire.
Working together gets results.
By combining the expertise and enforcement powers of Warwickshire Police, DVSA and HMRC, we can identify offences that might otherwise go unnoticed and hold those responsible to account.
For the vast majority of responsible drivers and legitimate businesses, it's business as usual. 
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