Police target travelling criminals in cross-border operation
Criminals travelling across the borders between Shropshire, Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Derbyshire and Staffordshire were targeted yesterday, as part of Operation Crossbow.
In Shropshire, police activity was focused in Whitchurch and Oswestry, with a number of police officers and special constables working alongside partner agencies.
The team focused on a number of road policing matters including no insurance, tax and unroadworthy vehicles through to cross border criminals, involved in a range of offences including drug dealing and organised crime.
The partnership operation involved Cheshire Police, Greater Manchester Police, Derbyshire Police, Staffordshire Police and the Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police alliance and was aimed at disrupting criminal activity across the region and denying criminals the use of the roads.
Using the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, officers were able to monitor virtually every vehicle which crossed the border between the two counties.
The operation resulted in almost 90 vehicles stops, nine vehicles seized (Four for no tax, two for no license and three for no insurance), twelve fixed penalty notices for a variety of road traffic offences, including using a mobile phone whilst driving, speeding and failing to wear a seatbelt.
Police gave 17 warnings for construction and use offences, one foreign HGV driver was stopped for excessive driver hours. They were given a £680 fixed penalty notice, and ordered to take nine hours immediate rest.
Three drug tests, led to two arrests on suspicion of drug driving and possession and one wanted person was arrested for theft.
Chief Inspector Jennie Mattinson from Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police said: "Working alongside Cheshire Police and a number of other forces and partner agencies, we have taken action against travelling criminals in Shropshire, through a coordinated and robust police response. We want to show criminals that there is nowhere to hide, and by sharing our resources we are able to identify and take action against those involved in a range of criminality."
Inspector Stuart York from Cheshire Police, said: "We are relentless in our pursuit of organised crime and will use a whole host of tactics to disrupt criminals working in our region. Criminals do not simply stop committing crimes when they reach the police border, but instead they rely on the road network to enable them to commit criminal offences.
"There is a strong link between the illegal use of vehicles and other serious and organised crime, which is why we are working together with our colleagues to target these criminals as they travel across the region."
This operation was one of the largest that has even been undertaken by Cheshire Constabulary, and involved more than 200 officers from across all five police forces.
Inspector Stuart York from Cheshire Police added: "This operation was about using joint resources to make the roads in our region a hostile place for travelling criminals who do harm in our communities.
"We used dedicated resources and ANPR technology to identify and target criminals using the road network and it is heartening to see our partners, which include Driver Vehicles Standards, the Environment Agency, HMRC, the Licensing Authority and Trading Standards, supported this extensive police operation.
"The message is clear - you use stolen vehicles, you drive illegally, you travel the roads to commit crime, then we will target you."
