Heywood officers take the wheel in operation to create safer roads for local community

 

Neighbourhood officers linked up with members of GMP’s traffic unit this week as they clamped down on driving offences across Heywood.

Heywood’s neighbourhood team have been taking a proactive approach to tackling the ‘fatal four’ offences in the town– speeding, drink and drug-driving, driving while distracted, and not wearing seatbelts.

Working in response to complaints about driving received, officers monitored areas including Rochdale Road, Bridge Street, and Bury Street.

Across approximately four hours on one day (Wednesday 19 July 2023), dozens of offences were reported and recorded, including for speeding, not using/ improper use of a seatbelt, incorrect number plates, using a mobile phone while driving, worn tyres, and improperly stowed loads.

In total, 86 offences were recorded in the morning – with the appropriate fines or advice acting as both a warning and deterrent to road users. Additionally, a car was seized for having no insurance, while an e-scooter was taken by police for being improperly used on the roads.

Hundreds of road traffic collisions are recorded each year in Greater Manchester, with many people suffering serious or fatal injuries. What some people may consider to be a non-issue can have life-changing consequences, and officers made this clear to those who were stopped during the day.

Sergeant Matthew Honey, from GMP’s Heywood neighbourhood team in the Rochdale district, said: “When we receive reports we act on them – if it’s a concern for people in the community, it’s a concern for us. We have had several people complaining about careless driving and we set-up this traffic operation in response to that.

“This is the second operation in as many weeks – last week, we conducted multiple stop-searches on evening patrols, in addition to arresting someone on suspicion of drink-driving. Whether its burglaries, drug dealing or dangerous driving, you will see many more proactive operations to tackle all of them.

“We will call upon all resources available where we can and where necessary - in this case, by working with traffic officers, we have sent a clear message that keeping the roads safe for our community is a key priority for our team.”

Traffic PCSO Team Leader Julie Nappin, from GMP’s Traffic unit, said: “We work closely with neighbourhood teams who want to ensure their roads are safer for their residents. Some drivers are simply not respectful of the roads and don’t realise that their driving could be dangerous for others.

“Following the rules of the road saves people and our ongoing work across Greater Manchester is designed to deter people from potentially fatal consequences.”

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