Net closing on uninsured drivers

By Sanjiv Buttoo
BBC Asian Network

Pc Bob Hoyle says law-breakers will eventually be caught

Police in Bradford have set up a new roads policing unit after it emerged the city has the highest number of uninsured vehicles on the UK's roads.

In a report from the Motor Insurers' Bureau, the south Bradford postcode BD3 topped its list of the 40 worst areas in the UK.

Nearly half of all cars registered in the district were without valid insurance.

Bradford also had two other areas in the top 10 uninsured driver hotspots and another two postcodes in the top 30.

The leader of Bradford Council, Kris Hopkins, has called on councillors to back an urgent plan to tackle the growing problem.

He said: "Sadly, driving without insurance is only part of the problem, as significant numbers of motorists in Bradford are also driving without either licences or road tax."

The council is now extending its "ring of steel" project which is costing £300,000.

It's terrible for the law-abiding majority of people... because they become tarnished as well as paying some of the highest premiums in the city Imran Hussain, Bradford councillor

Cameras all over the city will be equipped with an Automatic Number Plate Recognition system (ANPR) which can flag up those driving illegally.

Councillor Hopkins said: "Our cameras will pick up anyone breaking the law and those details will be passed on to the police who can stop the vehicle concerned very quickly.

"We want to send out a clear message to motorists that you will eventually get caught."

Councillor Imran Hussain said Bradford being labelled the worst in Britain was very damaging to the reputation of the city.

"It's terrible for the law-abiding majority of people, especially those living in these hotspots, because they become tarnished, as well as paying some of the highest premiums in the city," he said.

Some 34 dedicated officers make up the new roads policing team, who are using both marked and unmarked cars equipped with ANPR systems.

Acting Inspector Dorian James, who heads the team, said: "We are trying to put a focus on roads policing in Bradford because this is an area of concern that the public are telling us about.

Special cameras are used to record vehicle number plates

"Anyone committing an offence such as driving without insurance is highly likely to get caught, the penalty now is much much stiffer than it used to be - you can get fined, go to court or even have your vehicle confiscated".

But 24-year-old Asif, who lives in the BD3 area, told BBC News: "I don't have insurance, its not worth it.

"My car cost £500 and to get it insured costs £2,000, so why bother?

"If I get stopped what can the police do? Take me to court where I will get fined or take my car off me? Either way it's still cheaper for me not to have any car tax. I am breaking the law but what can I do?"

The new police patrols will cover various areas of Bradford looking for anyone who has no valid insurance, MoT, tax or driving licence.

They can even identify stolen vehicles, people who are wanted by the police and anyone who has failed to appear in court.

Pc Bob Hoyle, who is part of the new team, said: "Once a car goes past a camera within seconds its details are checked on a national database which will identify which vehicle is of interest.

"If the car is caught on a local authority fixed camera, it will be watched in a control room until a police unit can get there. If it is a mobile ANPR system in one of our cars we will follow our target until it is stopped.

"If you are law abiding then you have nothing to worry about when passing through the ANPR cameras, but if you are breaking the law then eventually we will find out.

"We will know in a few months just how we are progressing by the number of people we identify."