Car meet, meets police: officers visit car enthusiast gathering in Torbay

Police officers in Torbay recently visited a car enthusiast event in Torquay and Paignton to engage with the public and deter people from antisocial behaviour.

The gathering, which took place in Torquay and Paignton on a Saturday evening, was attended by over 200 people. The meet up brought people from across the bay, Cornwall and North Devon to celebrate a shared passion for cars.

Inspector Chris Lithgow, who patrolled the event, said: “Torbay sees a number of car meet ups throughout the year. Everyone is usually in great spirits and we don’t receive many reports about anti-social behaviour happening while these events are on. However, it is important for us to engage with these meet ups where possible and speak to the event organisers. We know that our presence is an effective way to discourage any potential antisocial behaviour, but it is also a great way to connect with our communities.”

Torquay neighbourhood police officers attended the event along with a specialist from the Roads Policing Team. During the event, officers spoke with a number of attendees, answering questions about legal car modifications, essential road safety advice and handed out stickers to families. They also enforced road traffic offences, mostly around vehicle modifications, the noise of exhausts, illegal number plates and lights.

“It was a good atmosphere. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the event passed with minimal issue or traffic offences. Thank you to everyone’s cooperation for making this a safe and fun event for all who attended,” Insp Lithgow added.

An advice leaflet for vehicle owners wishing to modify their cars has been issued by Devon & Cornwall Police in an effort to help keep drivers safe on our roads. The leaflet offers advice on body work, number plates, suspension, exhausts, wheels, tyres, lights and windows. View it here.

You can also follow our Roads Policing Team on social media for videos, tips and guidance on safe car modification and general information and advice on road safety.

Follow the team on TikTok – @georgescarmedia, Facebook - @Devon & Cornwall Police and X - @DC_police.