Operation targets uninsured vehicles using Dartford River Crossing

On Wednesday 15 September, Essex Police joined forces with Kent Police colleagues to target uninsured drivers using the Dartford River Crossing in a crackdown on those breaking the law in the two force areas.

As part of this work, they were joined by Motor Insurers Bureau’s Law Enforcement Liaison Officer Simon French who assisted with enforcement activities to ensure safety on our roads.

Head of Essex Police's Roads Policing Unit, Mr Adam Pipe, said:
We are committed to a collaborative approach to drive down road casualties and support road victims by upholding the law.
By forging strong relationships with those who share our ambition to make roads safe for everyone we can tackle this issue together.

Officers worked with teams from across both forces, including speed enforcement officers, resulting in:

• 12 vehicles being seized including two motorcycles
• 30 tickets issued for speed offences
• 38 traffic offence reports issued for seatbelts, phones, careless driving and other offences
• Launch of a fraud investigation
• An arrest for immigration offences

While most drivers are correctly insured and uphold the law, there remains a link between uninsured drivers and serious collisions and further criminality that if overlooked will harm our communities. The operation is designed to target areas where there are potentially high levels of uninsured vehicles, thereby disrupting the criminal use of the road network. The collaborative approach allows the use of data and intelligence held by partners to identify those who use our roads illegally.

On the day a second arrest was made when a vehicle was stopped in Gravesend for not holding insurance. Enquiries established the driver did not hold a driver’s licence or tax, but more importantly, was wanted on warrant in connection with an investigation relating to an offensive weapon offence.

Following the first time that the forces worked together on Operation Scalis, Chief Inspector Craig West, Head of Roads Policing at Kent Police said:
Law abiding motorists are put at unnecessary risk by those who flout the law and we are committed to repeatedly targeting uninsured drivers to make the roads safer.
In addition to the financial implications those who drive uninsured are often linked to other criminality and we are keen to get these vehicles off of our road network.
Our message is simple, if driving uninsured be prepared to have your vehicle seized, risk it being crushed and face significant fines and points on your licence.

Simon French, Law Enforcement Liaison Officer at MIB, said:
Uninsured drivers not only cause law-abiding drivers' premiums to rise, but they also cause devastation to their victims. Every day, at least one person is so seriously injured by an uninsured or hit-and-run driver, they require life-long care.
This collaborative approach between MIB and two forces, allowing us to straddle a major piece of the M25 network, means that uninsured drivers have nowhere to hide. We're delighted to be able to provide Essex Police and Kent Police with the data that allows them to conduct a targeted, focused approach to taking these dangerous drivers off the road.

Previously in Essex, three Operation Scalis days have been held resulting in 35 additional vehicles being seized and drivers reported.