Operation Wolverine recover more than £2 million through vehicle seizures in 2023
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Operation Wolverine reached another significant milestone as the team from Greater Manchester Police’s Specialist Operations Branch recovered £2,227,571.36 from 10,990 vehicles that were seized during 2023.
The operation, led by Sergeant Mike Lawrenson, initially broke the 1,000 seizures monthly mark back in July 2023 and then again in August 2023 before reaching 10,000 seizures at the start of December, highlighting a fantastic calendar year for the team.
Sergeant Mike Lawrenson from GMP's Operation Wolverine
Operation Wolverine, a constant proactive operation, is helping GMP to make Greater Manchester safer and also reduce the number of serious and fatal collisions on motorways and roads, seeing a 31% reduction since 2021 equating to around 23 preventable deaths.
The operation gives officers the power to seize uninsured vehicles and those driven without the correct licence through a specialist team of traffic officers.
The officers have worked in the unit, which was set up in 2007 to specifically tackle this type of crime, as it addresses loopholes in insurance legislation.
If a vehicle has been seized, drivers have 14 days to prove satisfactory ownership and provide a legitimate insurance for the vehicle.
Should the vehicle not be recovered by the owner they are auctioned with the proceeds being re-invested back into policing and towards community projects that help prevent and tackle crime throughout Greater Manchester.
Wolverine scooped two awards in October 2023 as work continued to make Greater Manchester’s roads a safer place.
The first accolade came at the UK Road Offender Education Awards where the team picked up the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s award for ‘Outstanding Contribution for Road Safety’, before winning the ‘Operation of the Year’ award at the Chief’s Constable’s Annual Awards at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
Mike Lawrenson said: “First of all I would like to thank the team for all their hard work during 2023, it was a special year for us for many reasons and a year we can look back on with great pride.
“We had a target in mind of what we wanted to achieve, and I think we achieved that and then some. We will continue to take uninsured vehicles off the roads and build on the fantastic results we achieved last year.”
For more information of Operation Wolverine please click the links below or email [email protected] :
Seized vehicles | Greater Manchester Police (gmp.police.uk)
