Operation Reclaim: seizure of uninsured vehicles

41/11
3 June 2011
MPA briefing paper 41/2011

This briefing paper has been prepared to inform members and staff. It is not a committee report and no decisions are required.

Summary

The Deputy Commissioner’s Headline Performance Report to SOP on the 12 May 2011 mentioned (paragraph 48) an operation involving Safer Neighbourhoods Teams in Haringey, where a number of vehicles were seized. SOP members asked to know what other Boroughs had undertaken similar operations.

Response

The seizure of uninsured vehicles by MPS officers is carried out under Operation Reclaim which is coordinated by Traffic Command. Operation Reclaim began on Ealing Borough in 2007 and went ‘live’ across all boroughs by 1 April 2009. In addition to the 32 Borough’s the TSG and six Traffic OCUs are all involved.

In recent months operations have been carried out on the following boroughs: Merton, Bexley, Barking and Dagenham, Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Wandsworth, and Ealing.

Traffic Command (CO15)’s South West Tasking Team ran an operation during March 2011 tackling uninsured and unlicensed drivers across Merton, Wandsworth, Sutton and Kingston boroughs. The Tasking Team, made up of one sergeant and six constables, worked on Operation Reclaim alongside Safer Neighbourhood teams. Over the twenty days which the operation ran they seized 226 vehicles, issued 226 Fixed Penalty Notices and 47 Process Books. They also made 23 direct arrests for offences ranging as wide as armed robbery, possession of drugs with intent to supply, drink/drug driving and driving whilst disqualified.

Seizures for no insurance and driving not in accordance with a licence are recorded on the ELVIS database which is in use at Perivale and Charlton car pounds.

In addition to this operation, CO15’s Central ANPR Unit (Automatic Number Plate Reader) were deployed on 248 taskings across the capital from 30th January to 23rd May 2011. During this period the four dedicated ANPR teams worked alongside Safer Neighbourhood teams and other police units and seized 722 vehicles, issued 46 vehicles with PG9 notices prohibiting them from being driven due to serious faults. The Central ANPR Unit also made 660 arrests during these operations.

Boroughs and all other departments seize vehicles during the course of their normal duties but are encouraged to run proactive Reclaim operations and initiatives to increase seizures.

The total number of seizures for the year 2010 was 34,249 and the total number to the end of April 2011 is 11,002.

This briefing has been prepared by Andrew Watson, Detective Inspector, Crime and Customer Strategy Command.

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