A COMBINED OPERATION ORGANISED BY WEST MIDLANDS POLICE

A recent combined operation between West Midlands Police, the Central Motorway Patrol Group (CMPG) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) yielded significant results with several arrests and a number of vehicles seized.

The operation, organised by PC Jim Barry of CMPG, centred on traffic on the busy M6/M5 motorways near Perry Barr, North West of Birmingham. Suspect vehicles including vans, trucks and trailers, were intercepted by CMPG officers on the motorways and escorted to a convenient and safe council yard where the drivers were interviewed and their vehicles, trailers and loads inspected by the police and HMRC officers.

A number of vehicles were confiscated due to having no insurance or valid MOT certificates and the police also issued summonses for other offenses including using 'red' diesel in a road vehicle and illegal importation of alcohol.

The CMPG officers pulled in several trucks carrying construction equipment, as plant theft is still a big issue nationally, and officers checked the CESAR plates of several pieces of plant using the 24/7 Contact Centre. On this occasion all proved to be legitimate.

The official CESAR Scheme is owned by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) and powered by Datatag ID Limited who supply not only the marking technologies but also the 24/7 Contact Centre. CESAR, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, now protects over 250,000 items of plant and machinery estimated to be worth £15 billion pounds. The CESAR System is fitted to a host of manufacturers as standard including Manitou, JCB, John Deere, New Holland and Clas to name just a few. The scheme is also supported by leading insurance companies including NFU Mutual who offer premium discounts of up to 25% on all CESAR protected equipment.

Date Created: 20/07/2017