Police crackdown on illegal vehicles in Berks & north Hants
Police have been examining commercial vehicles
Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Joint Operations Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) have been actively participating in a national two-week initiative led by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
This specialist CVU team, part of the Roads Policing Unit, is dedicated to ensuring the safety and compliance of commercial vehicle traffic across Thames Valley, Hampshire, and the Isle of Wight. As a collaborative unit, they play a crucial role in enforcing regulations, improving road safety and tackling issues specific to commercial transport.
The Commercial Vehicle Unit helps to ensure road safety by monitoring light and heavy goods vehicles on our roads. These vehicles can often cause the most harm in the event of road traffic collisions.
The CVU worked in collaboration with partners throughout the week of activity including the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Immigration Enforcement and other police forces.
Stats
During the two-week initiative, they examined a total of 166 commercial vehicles.
135 of these vehicles had at least one road traffic offence identified
47 vehicles were prohibited due to dangerous defects and 13 referrals were made to the Office of the Traffic Commissioner or DVSA
350 road traffic offences were detected in total
Issued 58 roadside fines, some with up to 6 points
6 arrests were made
The scope of the CVU covers a large remit and will include compliance from vehicles carrying hazardous goods, plant vehicles used in construction, tractors and farm machinery to name a few.
CVU inspects for overweight vehicles, tachograph and driving hours, insecure loads, and the condition of vehicles, along with the usual traffic offences such as drink/drug driving, use of a mobile phone and inconsiderate driving.
Targeted
Sergeant Paul Diamond, who leads the unit, said “While many offences were found, they were identified through targeted checks based on risk and intelligence.
“These figures don’t reflect overall industry compliance, as the sector remains highly safe and professional.
“The CVU’s role is to support operators following the law and by removing the small, high-risk minority that pose a danger.”