Every job comes with conflicting priorities, each vying for attention – none more so than policing. That is why we are piloting the allocation of dedicated resourcing with West Midlands Police, with 22 days of operations allowing officers to solely focus on tackling uninsured driving in key hotspots across the region.

We know that uninsured driving is, sadly, not a standalone issue. Data continuously demonstrates the link between uninsured drivers and secondary offences, from other driving offences to drug-related criminal activity. Focusing on taking dangerous uninsured vehicles off the road doesn’t just make our streets safer, it can help identify linked individuals, stolen vehicles, and wider crime networks.

What are we doing about it?

Operation Scalis has so far seen six days of activity in the West Midlands, with almost 70 vehicles seized to date. 16 more days of dedicated resource will be spread over March, April and May, allowing officers to trial activity across different areas of the West Midlands and refine success as learnings are made regarding which hotspots yield the best results and, in turn, take additional uninsured vehicles off the road.

Operation Tutelage markers and predictive movements – which identifies a 15-minute window in which a known uninsured vehicle will pass a particular police camera – are used throughout the day to help officers identify uninsured vehicles. In addition, MIB law enforcement liaison officers are joining a number of operations to provide roadside checking of the MID and a direct link to the Police Helpline, speeding up the process of confirming a vehicles insurance status.

Sergeant Francis Allen, from West Midlands Police Force Traffic Unit, said “Working with MIB has allowed us to focus our efforts precisely on the areas with the biggest prevalence of uninsured driving, maximising the impact of our operations. As well as seizing nearly 70 uninsured vehicles [to date], we have arrested people for stolen vehicles, vehicles transporting stolen property, court warrants and disqualified drivers along with numerous traffic offences as part of the operation.”

What’s coming next?

We are currently in discussion with three more forces to shape additional pilots. It is expected that these forces will come into action during Q2 of this year, with activity stretching across into Q3. If successful, Operation Scalis will then roll out to a wider field later this year.

Paul Farley, National Law Enforcement Manager at MIB, said “We know that all priorities are pressing for our police colleagues. However, by supporting forces in designating time to focus on uninsured driving, we know the benefits will be widely felt across all different areas of the force and the community, making roads safer. We are excited to progress Operation Scalis – this is just one more way in which we’re making sure that those flouting the law have nowhere to hide.”

Get involved

Whilst we are exploring a large number of initiative channels, we believe that multiple brains are always better than one. We know that different perspectives can add value to tackling uninsured driving so, if you have any ideas, insight, or questions that can support our mutual goal of reducing uninsured driving, we would love to hear from you.