SWOOP CENTRAL
WAKEFIELD VEHICLES CHECKED IN BLITZ
More than 60 vehicles were stopped in Feath- erstone and Sharlston during an action day to keep roads safe. According to the Ponte- fract and Castleford Express, the operation involved Wakefield Council’s highway en- forcement office, taxi licensing team and ben- efit fraud team, West Yorks Police, VOSA and
Customs and Excise. VOSA took six vehi- cles off the road and the police issued more than a dozen vehicle defect forms to drivers with defective tyres and other problems on August 23. Twenty drivers were investigated by the benefits fraud team, six of which were linked to benefit
claims and are being investigated.
Sgt Andy Loftus of Featherstone and Nor- manton neighbourhood policing team, said: “We hope that by regu- larly tackling road safety problems togeth- er we’ll keep rogue drivers off our local roads and encourage responsible vehicle ownership.”
CRACKDOWN ON CHEATS OPERATING IN LONDON
East End private hire drivers and benefit cheats were targeted during a joint initiative by the police and the council.
Officers from the Whitechapel Town Centre team worked alongside the Joint Enforcement Team patrolling streets in
and around Brick Lane on August 19.
According to East End Life, officers concen- trated their efforts on licensed minicabs, ensuring vehicles were properly insured and drivers were cor- rectly registered. The Automatic Num- ber Plate Recognition
was used to detect unpaid court fines. The initiative resulted in recovering court fines totalling nearly £1,300, a car with out- standing fines of £1,233 being seized. Three people also ended up being inves- tigated for benefit claims.
DEFECTS IN SCARBOROUGH TAXIS ARE ‘UNACCEPTABLE’
Recent checks on taxis and PHVs led to one car being ordered off the road immediately and six others being given delayed suspen- sions for serious defects which required urgent attention. Seven other drivers were given “verbal advisory notifications” for minor but important defects which required urgent attention. Scarborough Council chiefs and North York- shire Police say they are disappointed at the number of vehicles which were found to have defects following random spot checks in the town.
The multi-agency inspection of taxis and PHVs involved officers from the council’s licensing department, the police and VOSA. Inspectors were look-
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ing for defects such as faulty headlights, prob- lems with indicators, illegal tyres and worn handbrakes. In addi- tion, council licensing officers were checking that licensed drivers were fully compliant with the council’s taxi and private hire policy and Government legis- lation.
Out of the 27 vehicles inspected in the exer- cise, the remaining 15 vehicles were given a clean bill of health. The immediate sus- pension notice was for a bald tyre and result- ed in the vehicle being taken off the road immediately. The six delayed suspension notices related to the following defects: a fuel leak, worn disc brake pads, an inse- cure exhaust, a fractured suspension
linkage and a defec- tive steering joint. The operator of one vehi- cle was give a day to rectify its defects. Cllr Brian Watson, chairman of the bor- ough council’s licensing committee, said: “I am disappoint- ed at the percentage of vehicles identified with defects. I am, however, also aware that many licensed drivers are diligent and do check their vehicles thoroughly.” Una Faithfull, the coun- cil’s licensing manager, said the inspection revealed an “unaccept- able level of defects”. She added: “We will be organising more snap inspections in the near future and we will be taking firm action where vehicles are found not to be fully roadworthy.”
CAMPAIGN TARGETS NEWCASTLE CABBIES
Dangerous taxis and bogus cabbies were the targets of a police operation to ensure revellers get home safely after a night out. Police in Newcastle stopped more than 40 taxis and conducted on-the-spot checks to ensure they were fully complying with motor- ing and safety laws.
The operation was run jointly by Northumbria Police and Newcastle City Council’s Taxi Licensing Department. A total of 44 drivers were stopped and 25 defects detected. They were warned and told to fix the prob- lems, which included lighting faults, tyre defects and incorrect
signage.
City centre neighbour- hood beat manager PC Zoe Hingston told the Newcastle Chronicle that such operations not only ensured pas- sengers get into roadworthy vehicles driven by legal drivers, but send a message that police are working on initiatives.
BLITZ ON SOLIHULL DRIVERS FLOUTING THE LAW
Motorists who flout the law have been target- ed in the third road check operation in as many months.
Almost 150 vehicles were stopped and inspected by a multi- agency team - made up of staff from eight different organisations including Solihull Council, West Mid- lands Police and the UK Border Agency. During the checks, which took place on August 23, drivers were made to stop at
the NEC car park. In particular, the authorities were on the lookout for cabbies who use defective vehicles or don’t meet the licensing condi- tions.
Of the 147 vehicles inspected during the day, over half were taxis.
Councillor Len Cres- well, cabinet member for safer communities, told the Solihull News: “The majority of taxi drivers provide a safe and professional serv-
ice to the public. How- ever, some fail to maintain their vehicles or comply with other legal requirements. “I hope this operation will send out a clear message to all taxi drivers that we expect them to behave responsibly at all times and exercise the highest standards.” Five taxis with serious faults were immediate- ly taken off the road, while six others were advised about minor problems.
SPOT CHECKS TAKE ROSSENDALE TAXIS OFF THE ROADS
Two taxis have been taken off the roads fol- lowing spot checks in Rossendale.
The tests, part of Oper- ation Nightfire, were run in towns and vil- lages across the Valley by police, the council’s licensing department, VOSA and benefit fraud officers.
Rossendale police officer Michelle Dixon told the Rossendale Free Press: “From the 13 vehicles that were inspected, two vehi- cles were suspended, and VOSA imposed a prohibition notice on them which made their vehicle unroadworthy which left them unable
to trade.
“One was for a defec- tive tyre and the second was due to the anti-roll bar link having come apart, drive shaft boot split and leaking grease.
“A further vehicle was issued with a defect notice, missing wheel trims, defective roof sign, damage to wheel arch and filthy seats and no fare card.” During the exercise, a driver was also found to be operating with- out his meter.
Despite the suspen- sions, Rossendale Council’s licensing manager insists taxi standards in the bor-
ough are good. Tracy Brzozowski said: “Overall, the out- come of these random checks has been very satisfactory. The vast majority of the bor- ough’s taxis are safe and legal, and by car- rying out spot checks like this, we help to keep the standards high.
Councillor Jimmy Eaton said: “I think that Rossendale has some of the best and safest taxis in the area. Spot checks mean that local people can be reassured that the standard of the Rossendale fleet is good.”
PHTM OCTOBER 2010
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