A new specialist 24-hour roads policing unit in Staffordshire have arrested more than 70 people and recovered 19 stolen vehicles in their first month of action.
The dedicated Road Crime Team (RCT) was launched on 1 October.
Since then, working with partners, including trading standards and the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the team has:
- Arrested 73 people
- Seized £857,767-worth of assets
- Recovered 19 stolen cars
- Issued 486 traffic offence reports (TORs)
- Stopped 731 drivers
- Carried out 205 drink and drug-driving roadside tests
- Seized 159 vehicles
The team’s commitment to enforce and promote road safety, as well as action intelligence to disrupt organised crime groups operating in our county, has been evident from day one and continues at pace.
Chief Inspector Scott McGrath, who leads the road crime team, said: “This is a brilliant start for the team and we look forward to continuing to tackle criminality head on and working with a range of partners to make our roads safer.
“In 2023, 45 people sadly lost their lives on roads across our county. Each one of these deaths could have been avoided. This is why the new team is so committed to working proactively to enforce and promote road safety.
“Our message is very clear. If you drive a vehicle in Staffordshire in a way that puts other road users at risk, or you choose to use our road network for criminality, we are out there looking for you. And we will find you.”