GMP one of five police forces working together to tackle uninsured driving along M62

Five police forces, including GMP, situated across the M62 have worked in collaboration, alongside MIB, on Thursday 11 July, to tackle uninsured driving during a multi-force operation.

The MIB (Motor Insurers' Bureau) initiative, working alongside officers from Greater Manchester, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Cheshire, and Humberside Police, has seen uninsured vehicles seized along the 107 mile stretch of M62 carriageways.

This was the second multi-force operation across UK motorways, following the success of Operation M4 in April. The series is led by MIB, the UK entity that exists to protect people from the devastation of uninsured and hit-and-run drivers. MIB supports forces along the major road networks to enable the dedicated resourcing of officers, marked vehicles, ANPR cameras, control room operatives and intel staff. 

  

Across the day, over 90 additional road policing officers along the M62 utilised several methods to identify uninsured drivers. This included:

• Operation Tutelage markers, where cars passing ANPR cameras on previous occasions have been compared to data held on Navigate, the record of all active motor insurance policies which is managed by MIB. Uninsured vehicles with an Operation Tutelage marker are then flagged to police and dealt with roadside.
• Using police intelligence and analysis to establish the whereabouts of uninsured vehicles.

To support each of the forces, MIB law enforcement liaison officers joined officers at the roadside. This provided a direct link to Navigate policy data and to the MIB Police Helpline, speeding up the process of confirming a vehicles’ insurance status.

Uninsured driving is, sadly, not a standalone issue, so stopping an uninsured vehicle can help identify individuals of interest, stolen vehicles or property, and wider crime networks. Of the 183 stops made by 4pm, over a third (38%) uncovered secondary offences, including drug offences and the use of mobile phones whilst driving. With the operation continuing until 7pm, further risks are expected to be removed from the M62.

MIB are already in the process of exploring future collaborative operations on other major UK road networks, as part of their £5 million investment to reduce uninsured driving.

Inspector Jamie Buchanan from our Roads Policing Unit said, "Uninsured driving has serious consequences for all road users, with the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) reporting 26,000 claims received last year, from people having been involved in collisions involving uninsured and hit and run drivers.

"Some of those victims have tragically suffered injuries so severe, they have required life-long aftercare.

"This week, we have worked in partnership with law enforcement liaison officers from MIB and officers from adjacent forces on an operation targeting uninsured drivers, utilising the entire 107 mile stretch of the M62 motorway network.

"A number of tactical options were employed to identify offenders, including the use of information from automatic number plate recognition cameras coupled with high visibility, roads patrol policing.

"On top of vehicle seizures, our officers have identified and prosecuted a number of infringements ranging from MOT, tax and fraud offences. One driver was also found to be over the drink drive limit and promptly arrested."

Martin Saunders, Head of Enforcement at MIB added, “We know that uninsured driving is just one of many pressing priorities for our police colleagues. Following the success of Operation M4, it’s clear that supporting forces in designating time to focus on uninsured driving allows this issue to be tackled head on in a targeted and consistent manner. We know the benefits will be widely felt across all different areas of the community, making the M62 and surrounding areas safer.

“We’re continuing to shape further multi-force operations across different areas of the UK. This is just one more way, in a wider range of initiatives, in which we’re making sure that those flouting the law have nowhere to hide.”