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Police blitz on rogue motorists

3:25pm Tuesday 1st May 2007

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POLICE in Wiltshire are cracking down on motorists who drive without insurance.

Throughout May, officers from the Roads Policing Unit will be conducting targeted road checks at various locations in the county.

This operation will not only cover main roads but officers will also be monitoring minor roads.

Chief Inspector Nick Elton, head of roads policing, said: "This is a significant operation and we will be specifically targeting motorists using information supplied by the Motorists Insurance Bureau (MIB).

"Using Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) technology we will be able to check up to 3,000 vehicles an hour that are travelling on our roads to see if they have a valid certificate of insurance."

Drivers who are convicted of driving without insurance will have a minimum of six penalty points added to their licence and in addition to this their vehicle will be seized and could be crushed.

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Pen, melksham says...
4:10pm Tue 1 May 07

good! - why should those of us who pay our way subsidise those who can't be bothered.

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jo, trow says...
4:24pm Tue 1 May 07

as above good!! but if they do get caught and it gets as far as court ( and thats a big if ) then i hope they get more than a slap on the wrist

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maddie, warminster says...
4:26pm Tue 1 May 07

Ought to check for those driving without licesense I know 6 people in warminster who drve and have never taken a test

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peter broome, BATH says...
4:52pm Tue 1 May 07

maddie wrote:
Ought to check for those driving without licesense I know 6 people in warminster who drve and have never taken a test
Then why don't you report these criminals on one of the anonymous crime-stopper lines? It is a crime. I'd bet they're male and under 25, too!

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maddie, warminster says...
4:54pm Tue 1 May 07

Have reported them in person to police officers but nothing ever done have even rang and told police were the drivers are at a given moment

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magic, westbury says...
6:57pm Tue 1 May 07

i know of someone who drives her car ( 4x4) with no tax..so that means her insurance is void as well. she drives kids around in it.. its been reported but nothing is done.... NOW if that was u can bet your life i would have been caught.... its parked on a drive at nite so not on a public highway grrrrr as if that makes any differance when she is out driving it.....

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angry resident, trowbridge says...
7:33pm Tue 1 May 07

I too know of untaxed cars being driven and parked on the side of the road etc and nothing is done even though they have been reported to the police. Someone I know also lets his 16 yr old drive his car!!!! No tax,insurance or licence.........do the police care -NO! they do not seem too

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Tom, Calne says...
9:35pm Tue 1 May 07

magic wrote:
i know of someone who drives her car ( 4x4) with no tax..so that means her insurance is void as well. she drives kids around in it.. its been reported but nothing is done.... NOW if that was u can bet your life i would have been caught.... its parked on a drive at nite so not on a public highway grrrrr as if that makes any differance when she is out driving it.....
Driving with no tax does not invalidate insurance cover - the insurance underwriter are oblidged to pay out to affected parties in this situation.

However, should your 4x4 driving friend have an accident, it is highly unlikely the underwriter will meet their personal claim for damages or loss. In addition, the DVLA will issue a substantial fine if the vehicle was not last taxed in the previous three months, and the police have the power to confiscate the car on the spot.

I hope this is of interest to you and corrects your mistake.

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fed up being good, trowbridge says...
10:07pm Tue 1 May 07

Why dont the departments concerned take any notice of complaints made of the people who flout the law??
Or do people NOT complain to the right places?

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maddie, warminster says...
10:38pm Tue 1 May 07

I have certainly complained in the right places and to the right people even wrote to the chief constable but still these people drive with a licisence

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Al, Chippers says...
12:05am Wed 2 May 07

If anyone complains to the police, and feels that they are being ignored and not treated fairly, then I suggest that you gather any evidence, take copies, and then send it all to the IPCC (Independent Police Complaints Commission) www.ipcc.gov.uk . At the end of the day, you are reporting a CRIME, and it's being ignored! If still nothing (which should never happen!!), then the national press who love a good story against the police - maybe the WT/G&H could run a story on this - are you brave enough!!

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david chown, Bordeaux, ex-Melksham lad! says...
8:43am Wed 2 May 07

I can understand why the police allegedly do nothing when these offences are reported. It might mean getting out of that luxurious Police hotel at Melksham, or even, God Forbid, getting out on foot and patrolling - now THAT would reassure the old ladies.

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Plod, Wiltshire says...
9:56am Wed 2 May 07

So then David Chown ofr Bordeaux and Magic from Westbury, exactly what happens when the Police take action against car owners who have no tax ?? Come on then, you obviously know so much about it - Tell me what the procedure is !!! Oh dear, you can't can you ??? Well let me tell you what happens, then. A member of the public reports a car with no tax. A police officer checks to see if it actually has any tax and, if not, fills out a little form which is then sent off to the DVLA. If the car s less than three months out of date, the DVLA write back telling the owner to tax it ASAP and thats their job done. If it is over three months, they take action which can take upto another 6 months. So as you can see, its not the fault of the POLICE. Unfortunately we don't stick banners up saying 'Dealt with this one....', but that doesn't mean we don't do anything.

Oh, by the way David Chown, if you hadn't left the Country, you would see Police patrolling the streets, but then you wouldn't have any mud to fling would you ?

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Anon, Trowbridge says...
12:27pm Wed 2 May 07

I do think people are too quick to slate the Police, I mean do you not appreciate how difficult their job is having certain criteria to stick to for the useless Government, and having to manage with a complete lack of rescources and man power..... also I bet they have extra paper work to do these days... I can understand the Publics frustration in feeling they are not listened too, but the Police are not super human, there is only so much they can do and they have to prioritise constantly.

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DAVID CHOWN, BATH (visit) says...
9:31am Thu 3 May 07

TO QUOTE PART OF PLOD: Oh, by the way David Chown, if you hadn't left the Country, you would see Police patrolling the streets, but then you wouldn't have any mud to fling would you ?

Firstly, I didn't exactly "leave the country". I was out of it for 28 years serving it and HM in the Army, and just stayed where I ended up!
Secondly, it is exactly because I live here that I DO see Police patrols. My neices can walk safely to school along pathways patrolled by Police on mountain bikes, and cross the road on crossings manned by Gendarmerie, not "lollipop ladies" ("Plod" is doubtless aware that the gendamerie are Defence Ministry, not Police). We actually live in a small, crime-free village, but day and night patrols are carried out in Police Landrovers. My parents lived in Melksham, Conway crescent, and I can say hand on heart that I never once saw a routine patrol in that road.

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STJOHN WILLIAMS, BATH says...
2:11pm Thu 3 May 07

If lack of full-time Police is the problem, why not have a Police version of the TA? If volunteers are acceptable to die in Iraq, they are surely acceptable on the streets in Police uniform? I don't mean "specials" - the TA when on duty are paid full Army pay rates, and the same should apply to any Police reserve. I'm sure a lot of fit, intelligent young men and women would be willing to serve.

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tony, says...
8:18pm Fri 4 May 07

well do you think 6 points on a license is much of a deterent, if they have a license, whose to say they wont drive uninsured again, l know difficult to control

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Riggitt, Hampshire says...
12:35pm Mon 7 May 07

maddie wrote:
Ought to check for those driving without licesense I know 6 people in warminster who drve and have never taken a test
Then why don't you report them to the police.

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