10 people arrested in six-hour road safety clampdown in Reading
Police also seized 15 vehicles as motorists targeted for drink and drugs
Thames Valley Police officers have arrested 10 people and seized 15 vehicles in an operation to help make Reading’s roads safer.
Officers from the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit and Reading Local Policing Area targeted motorists whose driving was suspected of being impaired by alcohol or drugs.
The operation took place on the town’s major routes on the A33 Basingstoke Road, Bath Road, Oxford Road and London Road throughout a six-hour operation on Friday evening (26/2) in which officers used automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR).
Sergeant Edward Crofts, of the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said:
“The focus of our operation was to carry out high visibility road traffic enforcement across the town on a number of key roads. The roads had been identified, tragically, as having high numbers of road users being killed or seriously injured. Impaired driving was a factor in many of the collisions.”
Arrests
Five people were arrested on suspicion of driving whilst over the prescribed drug drive limit. These were:
A 43-year-old man from Reading, who was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a class B drug – cannabis. He was released under investigation.
A 38-year-old man from Reading, who was released under investigation.
A 42-year-old man from Reading, who was released under investigation.
A 20-year-old man from Reading, who was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a class B drug- cannabis and driving without valid insurance. He was released under investigation.
A 17-year-old boy from Wokingham was also arrested on suspicion of possession of a class B drug- cannabis and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence. He was released under investigation.
Two men were arrested on suspicion of being above the prescribed alcohol limit for driving. These were:
A 31-year-old man from Leeds arrested and charged with driving whilst over the prescribed limit for alcohol.
A 38-year-old man from Reading, who was released under investigation.
Two women, a 36-year-old from Reading and a 38-year-old of no fixed abode, were arrested on suspicion of theft in connection with an incident at a supermarket in Portman Road. They were released under investigation.
A 38-year-old woman was arrested on a court warrant and was remanded in custody.
A total of 15 traffic offence reports were also made.
Operation
Officers were joined by Reading Borough Council’s Licensing Enforcement officers who carried out checks on licensed vehicles. At the static checkpoint there were a total of 24 vehicles inspected. One private hire vehicle was found to be without valid vehicle insurance cover for hire and reward and another vehicle required further enquiries in relation to its insurance. A vehicle was discovered with a rear brake light not working and a fixed penalty notice was issued. A vehicle did not have a roof sign, one was missing its rear plate and there were three instances of no driver badges being worn. Investigations into these offences are ongoing.
A mobile unit also joined officers and discovered a private hire vehicle plying for hire, a vehicle with no rear plate and not displaying the driver’s badge along with a private hire vehicle parked unattended on the Red Route in the town centre. Two Hackney Carriage drivers were given advice about leaving their vehicles idling whilst stationary on or waiting to get onto a rank.
Sgt Crofts added: “This operation resulted in seven suspected impaired drivers being removed from our roads and a number other offences being detected. Working closely with Reading Borough Council, this enables us to reduce the risk to all road users and pedestrians and to prevent harm.”
Mark Groves, Senior Licensing Enforcement Officer at Reading Borough Council, said:
“By working in partnership with Thames Valley Police, we hope this reminds Hackney Carriage and Private Hire trades that we are around and will deal with any offences accordingly. The public’s safety is paramount and joint operations such as this make Reading a safer place for both its residents and visitors.”