Road team drives down crime

Road crime team officers arrested four people during targeted proactive enforcement in Stoke-on-Trent, as our work to improve road safety and target criminals in Staffordshire continues.

During three days of intelligence-led policing using Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology, the new team:

• Recovered three stolen vehicles
• Made two drug-driving arrests
• Arrested a man on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place
• Arrested a man on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A (cocaine), dangerous driving, criminal damage, and acquiring or using criminal property.
• Seized £48,800-worth of assets, including drugs, a knife and 18 vehicles
• Issued 41 Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) for issues including driving a vehicle in a dangerous condition, using a mobile phone, excess speed, and carrying a child in a dangerous manner
• Carried out 17 drink and drug roadside tests
• Stopped 75 vehicles

In 2023, 45 people sadly lost their lives on roads across Staffordshire. Each one of these deaths could have been avoided. This is why our new road crime team is committed to working proactively to enforce and promote road safety.

The team also targets criminals who use the county’s roads for criminality, including the distribution of drugs and exploiting vulnerable members of our communities.

Inspector Chris Moss said: “Last week, during three days of proactive and intelligence-led action, our team tackled a wide range of issues including education and enforcement around various dangerous driving habits and criminality on our roads.

“Our communities are already benefitting from this increased visibility, with officers able to better focus on addressing local needs and priorities.

“If you drive a vehicle in Staffordshire in a way that puts other road users at risk, or you use the network for criminality, we are out there looking for you and using every tool at our disposal, including ANPR, to catch you and take robust action.”

Read more about the new road crime team here:  https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/police-forces/staffordshire-police/areas/staffordshire-police/au/stakeholder-newsletter/new-247-road-crime-team-introduced-to-tackle-priorities-in-staffordshire/