Arrests after sting operation (From Malvern Gazette)

Arrests after sting operation

8:32am Friday 25th April 2008

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TWO arrests were made, six vehicles seized and Class A drugs recovered as police and Malvern Hills District Council pulled drivers from the road in a massive 'sting' operation.

Police used numberplate recognition technology to flag vehicles from the surrounding roads and into the Hanley Road car park in Upton, where Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) officers, the environment agency, and members of the council's street scene team awaited.

MHDC organised the stop and search' operation to crack down on illegal waste carriers following a sharp increase in fly-tipping across the district.

Although only three such carriers were caught without a license, the council has hailed the day a complete success', as action was taken against around 30 drivers using the roads illegally.

As well as two arrests, one for possession of heroin and one for giving false details, several penalty notices were issued for offences ranging from not wearing a seatbelt to being caught using a mobile phone.

One driver who had already amassed 21 penalty points on a provisional license ran off when stopped, only to be caught by police who issued a court summons for not having a valid license, tax or insurance.

Five cars and one motorbike were impounded for not having insurance or tax, and VOSA officers issued prohibition notices on nine vehicles with mechanical defaults.

Four police bikes and three cars equipped with automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) equipment were stationed in and around Upton throughout Wednesday's (April 23) operation, ready to flag down vehicles and direct them into a cordoned-off area of the car park.

Sgt Lloyd Cresswell was happy with the results of the operation.

"We have been working with the council street scene team for some time and were pleased to help out with the initiative," he said. "It provided some good results for both traffic and criminal offences."

MHDC street scene manager Gordon Morris said the crackdown would be the first of many over the coming months.

"One of our priorities this year is to deal with waste management, and because there is so much fly tipping going on you will see crackdowns like this more and more often," he said. "We're looking to target the sort of people who will just dump their waste at the side of the road."

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