More than 100 vehicles seized by West Midlands Police in special operation

A series of road safety operations by a police road harm team has been helping to improve road safety across the West Midlands.

The West Midlands Police Road Harm Prevention Team have worked to improve road safety in the region, with a key part of the work being the continued rollout of Multi-Agency Road Safety Operations (MARSOs).

The operations, which are led by the dedicated Road Harm Prevention Team within the Traffic Unit, bring together a wide range of partners, including the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and local authorities.

Between January and June, the force said it carried out 22 MARSO operations across the force area where a total of 451 offences were identified and reported while, additionally, 103 vehicles were taken off the road for having no insurance or no tax.

These operations involved stopping vehicles, checking for safety issues, and making sure drivers were following the law.

Headline figures from the operations include a total of 617 vehicles stopped and checked by officers and partners, with 96 vehicles were being seized because the drivers either didn’t have a valid driving licence or didn’t have insurance, both of which are required by law.

Additionally, seven vehicles were taken off the road because they hadn’t been taxed properly, 20 people were arrested for more serious offences, while 360 people were reported for breaking road safety laws.

There were also 381 people issued with a TPO10 (used to record and process road traffic violations, tints, vehicle defects, and documentation issues) and 74 vehicles prohibited by police of DVSA from leaving the site until vehicles faults or defects had been made.

A spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “Some of the most common issues we see during these checks include drivers using their mobile phones while driving, people not wearing seat belts, cars with windows that are too dark to see through, vehicles carrying too much weight, and drivers who are banned from driving or who have not paid their tax or insurance.

“These checks are not just about catching people doing the wrong thing, they’re about preventing accidents and saving lives.

“Unsafe vehicles and careless driving can lead to serious injuries or worse, and that’s why we take this work so seriously.”

The Road Harm Prevention Team (RHPT) was set up to reduce the risk of harm to road users who travel through the road network in the West Midlands Police force area.

PC Abbi Jones from the team said: “MARSOs provide us with the capability to promote road safety and deal with those committing offences in a specific area while working alongside our partner agencies, who bring their specialist skills and knowledge to the event.

“Our concentrated presence in area, where we work alongside the local neighbourhood officers, also assists in reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.

“We have more MARSOs planned for the rest of the year, including supporting wider policing activity like Operation Advance.”