Met Police operation targets illegal drivers in Bexley

2:17pm Wednesday 19th December 2012 in Bexley By Sam Christie

Chief Inspector Mike Loebenberg speaks to a driver stopped for having no insurance Chief Inspector Mike Loebenberg speaks to a driver stopped for having no insurance

MORE than 270 drivers were stopped and 10 vehicles seized during a 15-hour police crackdown on Bexley’s roads on Tuesday.

News Shopper reporter SAM CHRISTIE witnessed Operation Cubo in action.

HUNDREDS of passing motorists were blissfully unaware their number plates were being traced by an unmarked police car during the force’s latest crackdown on uninsured drivers.

The new equipment uses in-car cameras mounted to the front and back of the vehicle to pick up registration plates which are displayed on a screen and instantly cross-referenced with its database to see if they check out.

As Bexley Police’s Chief Inspector Mike Loebenberg was about to pull out into Blendon Road he spotted a woman driving with a mobile phone, and quick as a flash switched on the sirens and darted after her to pull her over.

The automatic number plate recognition system displayed “no current keeper”, and after a call to the police headquarters – despite her tearful pleas for mercy because “it is Christmas” – the removal team were called in.

The 29-year-old woman did not have valid car insurance, and was hit with a £200 fine and a six point penalty on her licence.

She told officers the black Mini One was bought at auction and she had borrowed it to drive to pick her child up from the nearby school.

“If the owner had offered to put her on the insurance policy she would have been fine,” said Mr Loebenberg. “The message here is you need to give full honest answers to the insurance company. It’s come about because she hasn’t given the full facts.”

The Mini was one of ten vehicles seized by the 30 officers across the borough during Tuesday’s operation between 7am and 10pm.

A total of 26 fixed penalty notices were handed out, 35 drivers breathalysed, all negative, and no arrests made.

It was the London-wide operation’s 14th day of action and takes the total number of vehicles seized in Bexley to 91 since it was launched by Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe in October 2011.

“It’s part of what the crime commissioner describes as the ‘total war on crime’, denying criminals use of London’s roads who are putting the public at risk,” added Mr Loebenberg.

Comments(23)

goldenbroomboy says...
4:54pm Wed 19 Dec 12

Plod chucking their weight about with easy targets, and what did they find?

Ten vehicles.

A waste of resources.

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Bestbaz says...
6:09pm Wed 19 Dec 12

If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,

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goldenbroomboy says...
6:46am Thu 20 Dec 12

Bestbaz wrote:
If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,
If an uninsured driver hit me, I would contact the Motor Insurers Bureau. If you think that plod causing tailbacks so they can earn their Xmas bonus is going to reduce your insurance premium you are living in the land of make believe.

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j.j. says...
7:00am Thu 20 Dec 12

goldenbroomboy wrote:
Bestbaz wrote:
If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,
If an uninsured driver hit me, I would contact the Motor Insurers Bureau. If you think that plod causing tailbacks so they can earn their Xmas bonus is going to reduce your insurance premium you are living in the land of make believe.
it's not that simple. this happened to me and I still ended up several hundred pounds our of pocket and a car that was never the same. the bureacrazy involved is also mind boggling. i'd say i spent at least 100 hours sorting this out.

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PaulErith says...
8:33am Thu 20 Dec 12

Bestbaz wrote:
If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,
Too right. I can't see any why anyone would be against these people being caught (well unless they are an uninsured driver themselves). Isn't the police's job to catch criminals?

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Tip-Top says...
8:49am Thu 20 Dec 12

Chief Inspector Mike Loebenberg's pose looks like something from a Carry On film.....Ooooo Matron!

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junie says...
8:53am Thu 20 Dec 12

i cant see why people ain't all for this i am.MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries.if you don't hope you get caught

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toomush2drink says...
9:44am Thu 20 Dec 12

Great stuff, keep it up.

I was hit by an unisured driver and it was a nighmare,my premiums went up and it took ages and a lot of wasted time to get some money back.I even had to attend court where the culprit didnt even show up.

Take their cars and crush them if proven to be unisured.

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ron.1952 says...
10:23am Thu 20 Dec 12

Tip-Top wrote:
Chief Inspector Mike Loebenberg's pose looks like something from a Carry On film.....Ooooo Matron!
No Mr TT I think Mikey opens the batting for my team.


Ron x

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Tip-Top says...
10:27am Thu 20 Dec 12

And I'm sure it's a very good team too

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Hk says...
10:38am Thu 20 Dec 12

I think its a brilliant idea. Far too many people driving around with no tax, no MOT, no insurance, and getting away with it. I have to have all three which like most people I would obviously rather not have the expense but it is ILLEGAL not to so I have them.

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ron.1952 says...
10:58am Thu 20 Dec 12

Tip-Top wrote:
And I'm sure it's a very good team too
Very good looking ! We tend to play indoors through the winter months. I'm going to slip into the baseball vernacular for a moment, are you a pitcher or a catcher your good self ?

Ronny Ron.

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Tip-Top says...
11:07am Thu 20 Dec 12

Indoors? Get yourself out and about and just wear a hoodie (please note that wearing such attire may attract generic stigma from the ignorant and un-educated).

I believe I’m a very fast, curved ball kind of “pitcher”!

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ron.1952 says...
2:12pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Mr T as it happens I wear a my A & F hoodie with pride.

A pitcher, well get you luvvy. I'm much more an all rounder me, a bit of a Sir Ian Botham, but younger of course.

Ron x

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j.j. says...
2:15pm Thu 20 Dec 12

toomush2drink wrote:
Great stuff, keep it up. I was hit by an unisured driver and it was a nighmare,my premiums went up and it took ages and a lot of wasted time to get some money back.I even had to attend court where the culprit didnt even show up. Take their cars and crush them if proven to be unisured.
I had exactly the same experience, but some people seem to think that the trouble caused by uninsured drivers can be sorted out with a phone call.

M.I.B. is funded by insurance companies, ie. out of the primiums of those who have an insurance so this is not a free service.

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Tip-Top says...
2:16pm Thu 20 Dec 12

I'm sure you look great in a tank-top.

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ron.1952 says...
2:26pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Flattery will get you a long way T. All the way in fact you flirt.

Ron

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Marty1979 says...
9:17pm Thu 20 Dec 12

Some weeks ago they were doing this in Cray Avenue & the NS editor got held up by a few minutes so quickly rattled of his comments

And gave anyone without insurance / tax / licence a tip-off as to where the police were

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Oldchap says...
7:16am Fri 21 Dec 12

On the example shown, had she not been using her mobile whilst driving (illegal) the police inspector might not have checked & found the car was uninsured

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the wall says...
11:30am Fri 21 Dec 12

Bestbaz wrote:
If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,
"Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance"..........
... So with all these uninsured drivers been taken off the road my insurance will be coming down and not going up will it?............ No didn't think so.

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RICHARD DOLAN says...
5:04pm Sun 23 Dec 12

Excellent work. The Met Police are to be congratulated. Keep up the good work. These people who find their car confiscated etc only have themselves to blame. Finally a very happy Christmas and New Year to the Met Police carrying out these essential duties....

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j.j. says...
6:20pm Sun 23 Dec 12

the wall wrote:
Bestbaz wrote:
If you hold an MOT, Tax and Insurance you have no worries. If an uninsured driver hit your car or worst still a member of your family, then you would tell "Plod to chuck their weight about" Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance. Well done police. Take these selfish idiots off the road and catch all who still use mobiles whilst driving,
"Uninsured drivers increases everyones car insurance"..........

... So with all these uninsured drivers been taken off the road my insurance will be coming down and not going up will it?............ No didn't think so.
This will help to bring costs down, but it does not help with the increased cost settling personal injury claims made by no-claim-no-fee lawyers - the other big reason behind increased insurance premiums.

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cherished says...
6:56pm Mon 24 Dec 12

But they are only checking that the vehicle is insured, not that the person driving it at the time has a licence at all?? I suggest another sting and actually pull people over rather than check a database..

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