Express & Star

Police blitz on M5 sees hundreds of drivers caught

More than 290 people travelling on the M5 have been dealt with for various offences during the first policing operation covering the entire length of the motorway.

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Operation Unity saw officers from seven police forces working together along the M5 corridor from West Bromwich to the start of the Devon Expressway in Exeter.

The two-day operation, conducted on Thursday and Friday last week, led to 70 drivers being stopped for speeding offences and a further 54 being fined for using mobile phones at the wheel.

Thirty-five motorists were pulled over for failing to wear seatbelts and 11 people were arrested on suspicion of committing a variety of other offences. During the crackdown, officers also responded to a report of a man in a Mercedes van seen with a handgun near Cullompton, Devon.

The van was stopped near Bristol and searched. No arrests were made but a ball-bearing gun was recovered.

Superintendent Paul Keasey, head of Central Motorway Police Group, which led the operation, said: "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 is 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."

West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson said: "To keep our motorways safe for everyone and tackle organised crime requires police forces to work together, just as the Central Motorway Police Group has done for many years in our area.

"We know that the motorway network is vital to organised crime, and I am pleased to see forces working together across boundaries to deny its use to criminals."

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