More drug drivers stopped!

Two suspected drug drivers were arrested and three cars seized during a road policing operation in Chelmsford yesterday (May 25, 2016) Officers from the Casualty Reduction Unit worked alongside colleagues from the Safer Essex Roads Partnership during the operation which aimed to detect offenders using the roads and increase road safety.

Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology (ANPR) was used to identify suspect vehicles which were then intercepted and taken to stop-check sites at the Boreham services and Broomfield Road. During the operation two men were arrested on suspicion of drug driving after failing a roadside test.

A 35-year-old man from Westcliff was arrested at the Boreham site at 2.30pm. He has been released on bail pending further investigation until July 29, 2016. A 28-year-old man from Colchester was arrested at the Boreham site at 11.20am. He was arrested on suspicion of drug driving, driving without insurance and driving otherwise than in accordance with his licence and has been released on bail pending further investigation until July 20, 2016. A 28-year-old man from Manchester was arrested on suspicion of making off without payment in Parkway, Chelmsford at around 6.50pm. He remains in custody.

Three vehicles were found to be over the legal weight limit including a Range Rover attempting to tow a large boat to Suffolk. The boat and trailer were found to be more than a tonne over the legal weight limit for the vehicle attempting to tow them. The driver was fined £100, prohibited from continuing his journey and had to arrange for a crane and loader to transport the boat.

During the operation, a total of 37 people were dealt with for not wearing a seatbelt including the parents of a three-year-old child who wasn’t restrained in a car seat. Eighteen people were spotted using a mobile phone behind the wheel and three vehicles were seized because their drivers didn’t have appropriate insurance. Twelve vehicles were found not to have a valid MOT and two were dealt with for failing to stop at a red traffic light. A total of 18 drivers were dealt with for speeding offences and three for driving otherwise than in accordance with the terms of their licence. Fines totalling £600 were also issued for driver hours offences.

Sgt Dave Rudd from the Casualty Reduction Section said: “The introduction of the new drug testing kits means we are better equipped than ever to detect drug drivers on our roads. Drug driving puts not only the life of the driver at risk but the lives of other innocent road users too. Drug driving is totally unacceptable and our message is clear – if you take drugs and drive it is only a matter of time before you are caught and put before the courts. “We are training more officers in the use of the roadside drug testing kits and will continue our efforts to keep the roads safe. However the community has a significant part to play in this. Our efforts can only be strengthened by the flow of information from members of the public so I would ask anyone with information about people who take drugs and get behind the wheel to report it. We will act upon information we receive so please tell us what you know by calling us on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”