Operation Wolverine targets drivers without insurance (From Bury Times)

Operation Wolverine targets drivers without insurance

11:07am Sunday 20th January 2008

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MORE than 1,000 cars have been seized in Bury over the last two years by police targeting unlicensed and uninsured drivers.

The seizures form part of Greater Manchester Police's Operation Wolverine, which has claimed 30,000 vehicles over the same period, including a convertible Audi A4 and an Audi Quattro worth around £45,000.

About half of the vehicles have been released back to their owners, but the remainder were crushed, sold at auction or returned to finance companies because the drivers failed to produce valid insurance or proof of ownership.

The operation, which has resulted in a total of 1,115 vehicles being taken off the streets in Bury, has been so successful that police have been returning vehicles to finance companies to the value of around £200,000 a month.

Sergeant Mark Beales from the Traffic Network Section and head of Operation Wolverine said: "The main focus of this operation has been to disrupt criminals in Greater Manchester, as many of them use uninsured vehicles to commit crimes in the area.

"We receive a lot of support from the public for this work as we are cracking down on drivers who think they can get away with paying nothing, while law-abiding citizens are left to foot the bill.

"The two Audis we seized also disprove the common misconception that it's only older cars that are driven without insurance. Many people automatically assume that high value vehicles have insurance when this may not always be the case."

The 15,000 vehicles that were returned to their owners were only done so after insurance, licence, road tax and proof of ownership details were verified and once penalties including storage charges had been paid.

Operation Wolverine runs in addition to regular Automatic Number Plate Recognition checks for insurance and road tax dodgers, while Operation Cheetah handles camera evidence of speed and traffic light offences.

Sgt Beales added: "We are committed to driving criminals off the road and will continue our work to make the roads of Greater Manchester safer by targeting uninsured and unlicensed drivers."

Anyone wishing to give information on uninsured drivers can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or Greater Manchester Police on (0161) 872 5050.

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