Operation Utah a success
The six police forces and
partner agencies that took
part in Operation Utah were
led by Hertfordshire’s Sgt
Grant Finnie and included
over 150 officers and staff
from Hertfordshire, Essex,
Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire,
Cambridgeshire and
the Metropolitan Police.
Officers, including members
of the Special Constabulary,
made use of Automatic
Number Plate Recognition
(ANPR) technology to target
criminals and unsafe drivers
on the A1M, the M1 and the
M25, and officers were also
deployed in other areas.
Hertfordshire made nine arrests
for possession of a loaded
air weapon; possessing identity
documents with intent; breach
of bail conditions; obtaining a
licence whilst disqualified and
driving whilst disqualified.
Nine unsafe or illegal vehicles
were seized for having
no insurance, being un-roadworthy
or the driver not having
a licence, and 19 fixed-penalty
notices were also handed out
for offences including using a
mobile phone whilst driving.
“Working closely with our
partners to target those criminals,
and unsafe drivers putting
others at risk, consistently
yields excellent results and this
operation was no exception,”
commented Sgt Grant Finnie.
“I’d like to express my thanks
to everyone involved in helping
us to give a sharp reminder to
anyone tempted to break the
law in Hertfordshire that we’ll
be ready to stop them in their
tracks.”
Also included in the activity
was work carried out by Hertfordshire’s
Force Intelligence
Bureau to help combat illegal
immigration. Officers worked
with the UK Border Agency to
look at foreign vehicles.
To improve officer safety
and enhance the effectiveness
of the search, they were using
a new piece of equipment
that allows officers to take a
sample of the air within the vehicle
to test for hidden human
presence.
Officers also worked with
hauliers to educate them,
with leaflets and audio messages
prepared in a variety
of languages, on how best to
secure their vehicles against illegal
immigrants, for example,
checking the door seals of
their lorry.
Top Back to Force News Home |
