More than 150 vehicles were stopped over two days by Three Rivers police in a proactive operation to tackle cross-border crime.
Operation Greenbelt carried out over 48 hours in June was led by officers from the Three Rivers Operation Scorpion team based in Rickmansworth and Oxhey, and who were supported by Three Rivers’ Safer Neighbourhood Teams.
Operation Scorpion officers proactively target offenders who commit burglaries, robberies, drug and vehicle-related crime.
Officers from neighbouring force Thames Valley Police, were also involved around Junction 17 (Denham Way) of the M25 – which straddles both force areas.
The main arterial routes that cross over between the two counties were targeted and all vehicles were stopped using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) technology which identified people of interest.
As a result:
One person was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving. They have been released under investigation while enquiries continue.
15 vehicles were seized for various reasons including having no insurance, no tax and no MOT. The driver of one vehicle seized, a VW Golf, also had no driving licence.
13 person and vehicle searches were conducted, resulting in two cannabis warnings being issued and a knife being seized.
Three Section 59 warning notices were given for anti-social driving and riding.
More than 20 Traffic Offence Reports (TORs) and Vehicle Defect Rectification Scheme (VDRS) notices were issued to motorists who, for example, had no valid insurance or a broken tail light.
There were multiple self-generated vehicle stops by officers in the area surrounding Rickmansworth, bordering Denham.
A number of intelligence reports were submitted on persons of interest travelling through the area.
PC Iain Rosser, from the Three Rivers Operation Scorpion Team, led the operation and said: “We are very pleased with the results from the past two days, which is just part of our ongoing work to detect, disrupt and deter cross-border criminals who travel from county to county to commit offences.
“During the operation we spoke to many motorists who were decent and law-abiding citizens, and we would like to thank them for their co-operation and understanding.
“It also highlighted the excellent working relationship between ourselves and Thames Valley. We share a common goal to relentlessly pursue cross-border criminals and ultimately protect our communities from crime. Hertfordshire is not an easy target and we will bring you to justice if you choose to offend here. We’d like to thank TVP for their support.”