M5 police crackdown catches 291 drivers
The first ever policing operation covering the entire length of the M5 has resulted in 291 people being dealt with for traffic and other offences.
Operation Unity brought together officers from seven police forces working jointly as a team to proactively police the M5 corridor, from its start at Junction 1 in West Bromwich, near Birmingham, to its end at Junction 31 at Exeter where the Devon Expressway and A30 both commence.
The aim of the operation was to crackdown on travelling criminals and target traffic offences over a two-day period, between Thursday 2 October, and Friday 3 October.
Of the 291 drivers dealt with, 70 were stopped for speeding offences, 54 were issued with fixed penalty notices for using their phone at the wheel and 35 were pulled over for not wearing their seatbelts.
Officers from Devon & Cornwall and Avon & Somerset responded to a report about a man in a Mercedes van seen near Cullompton, Devon suspected to be holding a handgun. Local, unmarked, armed officers quickly picked up the vehicle and monitored its journey into Somerset. The van was stopped near Bristol and searched - no arrests were made but a BB pistol was recovered and the driver given advice.
As part of the operation, 11 people were arrested on suspicion of a variety of offences.
While forces already share intelligence and respond to incidents across borders, it is the first time officers from Devon & Cornwall Police, CMPG (The Central Motorway Police Group comprising West Mercia, West Midlands and Staffordshire forces), and the newly-formed Tri-force Operations (Avon & Somerset, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire forces) have taken a consistent approach and worked together as one to police the M5.
Superintendent Paul Keasey, head of CMPG who led the operation, said: “We are delighted with the results of this operation. Recent intelligence indicates the M5 is a vital route for many different members of the criminal community, allowing them to traffic people, convey drugs, transport stolen goods and deliver vehicles following car key burglaries.
“We hope this operation sends a clear message to them that we will act on the information we receive from the public and we will take whatever action necessary to disrupt their activities.
“We also hope it raises the awareness of the ‘fatal five’ offences, namely dangerous and careless driving, mobile phones, speeding, seatbelts, drink and drug driving, and makes drivers think more carefully about their actions, helping to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.”
Inspector Richard Pryce, from the Devon and Cornwall Police Safer Roads Support Unit, said: “The M5 is the main artery into our policing area and as such an integrated operation like this, along its entire length, demonstrated the ability to deny its use to those who would bring criminal activity into Devon and Cornwall.
“This operation allowed us to not only to identify motoring offences which often can lead to injury collisions and potential lengthy road closures, but also to reinforce messages around safer and responsible driving. It is crucial that we help to reduce instances of death and serious injury on our roads and particularly those which are strategically significant to the South West peninsula.”
