Cars seized and drivers being prosecuted after successful car cruising operation in Nottinghamshire

Officers became aware that a large number of car cruisers were planning to descend on Nottinghamshire on Saturday, May 3, and a coordinated operation was put in place, involving numerous police departments, to maintain public safety and to take robust action against any offenders.

Between 300 and 400 cars arrived as planned and were setting up to race and potentially cause problems across known hotspot locations in Nottinghamshire.

Officers involved in the successful operation managed to prevent any issues using disrupt and disperse tactics and were able to track drivers to prevent issues from happening at other locations.

Sergeant James Carrington said: “We seized five cars that night alone and 14 drivers will be prosecuted.

"We also populated our database with a huge number of vehicle registration marks (VRMs) for further monitoring and to develop our intelligence picture going forward, as well as dispersing them out of Nottinghamshire without issue.

“The operation was a real success and underlines how we will continue to work hard to keep people safe, prevent and disrupt antisocial behaviour being caused at these car cruise events, and do everything we can to bring offenders to justice.”

A further two cars were stopped and enforcement action was taken following a smaller scale pop-up meet on the A57 at Worksop on Bank Holiday Monday (May 5).

Nottinghamshire Police's proactive approach to tackle car cruising and antisocial driving has recently received positive national and regional news coverage.

The force launched Operation Wheelspin last year as part of a coordinated county-wide response to car cruising, with the latest data revealing offences have since decreased by 20 per cent.​

The police’s Prevention Hub has been instrumental in creating a force-wide problem management plan to tackle this issue, with plans and training packages delivered to key force departments.

Analysis from the Prevention Hub, which is responsible for providing data to assist with strategy development to prevent crime, has identified prominent areas and times where racing is taking place, allowing officers to respond quickly and disperse antisocial drivers.

The police’s coordinated joint response has also involved positive enforcement action being taken by local neighbourhood policing teams and the roads policing unit.

Positive action taken against offending drivers has included seizing vehicles, reporting motorists for court summons, or issuing traffic offence reports and Section 59 notices.

Traffic offence reports cover a wide range of motoring offences such as driving without a seatbelt or with worn tyres and can result in a fine or driving licence points.

A Section 59 notice places Police National Computer markers on vehicles and individuals, meaning that any similar behaviour in the next 12 months can lead to prosecution and vehicles being seized.

Officers are continuing to tackle the issue head-on by using a robust two-pronged education and enforcement approach with marked and unmarked cars to deter and clamp down on nuisance drivers and keep residents safe.

Operation Wheelspin is also pioneering an educational approach to tackling car cruising in Nottinghamshire.

A new diversionary course has also been developed on a trial basis in Ashfield, which acts similarly to a speeding awareness course and is delivered by Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Officers are working closely with Ashfield District Council to enforce their Public Space Protection Order (PSPO), which bans antisocial driving across the district.

Motorists who breach the PSPO are issued with a £100 fine and are offered a reduced penalty if they accept a place on the educational course, which outlines the law and the consequences of crashes and dangerous driving.

Failure to attend the course results in the reinstatement of the full fine. Those who go on to complete the course but continue to reoffend face the risk of further prosecution, a civil injunction and a criminal behaviour order.