Cars stopped and arrests made in special police operation

Officers from the Road Harm Prevention Team took part in a joint road safety operation which saw scores of potentially dangerous vehicles stopped and arrests made. Photo: West Midlands Police

Officers from the West Midlands Police Road Harm Prevention Team led the activity on Tuesday as part of the national policing Commercial Vehicle Week, with dozens of motoring offences being uncovered during the operation near the NEC.

Patrols were carried out in both marked and unmarked vehicles along the M42 and concentrated on offences committed by all manner of commercial drivers; including lorries, vans, plant vehicles, agricultural machinery and taxis.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: "We took part in a joint road safety operation which saw scores of potentially dangerous vehicles stopped and arrests made

"We were looking for those committing fatal four offences, drink or drug-driving, speeding, using a mobile phone at the wheel and not wearing a seatbelt.

"However, with commercial vehicles, a whole raft of other offences were identified including excessive vehicle lengths, insecure loads, overweight vehicles, illegal tints and dangerous defects.

"We stopped 49 vehicles and detected 38 offences as part of the operation which was supported by specialist teams from Central Motorway Policing Group (CMPG) and the Solihull Priorities Team."

Partners in attendance included the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Local Authority Waste & Licensing Teams, Motor Insurers Bureau, DataTag, TER and the West Midlands Fire Service Road Casualty Reduction Team.

Officers arrested five people for other offences such as driving whilst disqualified, failure to appear at court, driving under the influence of drugs, possession with intent to supply and theft of a motor vehicle.

The spokesman said: "This operation is just one of the many proactive measures undertaken by our team to ensure road safety.

"We are conducting regular operations to promote responsible driving behaviour, reduce road incidents and protect our communities.

"This involves speed enforcement, road-side educational inputs on safe overtaking of cyclists through Op Close Pass and community engagement initiatives like Speed Watch."