Multiple arrests, seizure and fines in target local roads operation

Members of the Roads Policing Unit have seized 90 vehicles and made 83 arrests during the first two months of a new enforcement operation.

Operation Highways is a hyper-local, intelligence-led policing initiative that deploys additional units to specific neighbourhood areas on a monthly basis.

This approach enables officers to dedicate extra time to tackling key local priorities and addressing concerns raised by residents via a survey from the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Throughout November and December, the team first focused on the Newark and Sherwood area before turning their attention to Rushcliffe.

In total, more than 400 vehicles were stopped on suspicion of various offences – ranging from drink driving to having no tax or insurance.

In Newark, much of the activity centred around the A617, where numerous vehicles were seized for lacking tax or insurance.

Thanks to the increased roads policing presence, a stolen caravan was swiftly intercepted and recovered, resulting in multiple arrests. The off-road team was also deployed to fields near Markham Moor to address concerns about poaching.

In Rushcliffe, officers concentrated on the A46 and A52 corridor, issuing multiple speeding tickets. This additional activity also led to the arrest of two suspected burglars and the detention of a suspected organised crime group (OCG) member on suspicion of immigration offences.

Police and Crime Commissioner Gary Godden said: “Speeding and reckless or dangerous driving are some of the top concerns that Nottinghamshire residents consistently raise through our quarterly Police and Crime Survey.

“This operation has involved partnership working with insight and data from my office and Nottinghamshire County Council’s Highways team to ensure policing resources are targeted effectively.

“Joint operations like this demonstrate clearly to the public that their concerns are being taken seriously, and action is being taken to address these issues.

“I would encourage local communities to keep reporting any concerns they have to the police so they can target resources effectively to where they are needed.”

Detective Inspector Jamie Moore, of Nottinghamshire Police, added: “After consulting with local residents, partners and neighbourhood policing teams, we’ve launched an ongoing series of proactive policing operations in our neighbourhood areas.

“Ultimately, local residents know what’s going on in their communities and know which areas are rife with speeding and antisocial drivers.

“Our neighbourhood poling teams also know their patches far better than we do as roads policing specialists, and also have a huge amount of local knowledge to assist us with.

“for example, they know who the local drink drivers are, which pubs they visit, and when they’re likely to be on the road.

“Armed with this collective local intelligence, we can deploy our specialist skills and equipment to really blitz a local area and really clean up the roads network.

“So far, we’re very pleased with the results this new approach is delivering and look forward to rolling it out in other areas of the county.”