West Mercia Police reminding motorists the importance of taking responsibility for speeding offences
The force has been highlighting how anyone who tries to avoid a prosecution for one through the likes of a false driver nomination could face investigation for perverting the course of justice
West Mercia Police is reminding motorists the consequences of trying to avoid prosecution for a speeding offence and the seriousness of it.
The force has been highlighting this week the work its Roads Investigation and Prosecution Team do to tackle the issue by investigating things used to evade taking accountability like false driver nominations, cloned vehicle claims and fraudulent accounts.
Under ‘Operation Cheetah’, it said officers will use "extensive police and commercial databases" to identify false claims, that they'll then deal with accordingly.
It's warning those who attempt to escape responsibility for one could face investigation for perverting the course of justice, with a conviction carrying a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Sergeant Lee Baker, who leads the Roads Investigation and Prosecution Team, said: "It's important to take responsibility for your speeding notices and not provide false information, because the implications of providing that false information can be very far reaching for your criminal record, for your career, for your livelihood.
"Let's be very clear, the vast majority of people deal with their speeding notices truthfully, efficiently, and they never need to come anywhere near my department, but there is a proportion of people who, for whatever reason, try and avoid their speeding notices.
"It could be that they've already accrued a number of points on their driving license and they don't want to have a driving ban, it could simply be that they're involved in other criminality and don't want to be detected."
Some of the examples of offences given by West Mercia Police include:
- Paying someone to “dispose” of an offence
- Claiming a vehicle is not yours
- Falsely naming another driver
- Falsely naming someone who lives abroad or does not exist
- Providing false addresses
- Altering a vehicle’s appearance and claiming it has been cloned