Police seized cars, arrested a drink driver and issued anti-social behaviour warnings in Merthyr Tydfil last weekend following reports of concerning behaviour. Neighbourhood policing teams, the Roads Policing Unit and local authority CCTV operators joined forces to have an unmarked car patrol the town and alert roads policing officers to vehicles of interest.
The targeted action followed "some serious and concerning incidents in the town", and took place between Friday, September 30 and Sunday, October 2. Police say "a number" of drivers were stopped during the operation, one drink driver was arrested and four people were issued with Section 59 warnings for vehicle-related anti-social behaviour (which means their vehicle will be seized if they commit any further offences).
Two vehicles were seized as they were being driven by people without licenses. The driver of one of the vehicles escaped from officers, and police investigations to identify him are ongoing. Any drivers caught on CCTV speeding through the town during the weekend who weren't stopped at the time will be retrospectively given Section 59 warnings.
Local policing inspector Jon Duckham said: "This operation follows on from one we did at the beginning of September. Our aim is to let those who think it’s okay to use Merthyr town and its surrounding roads like a racetrack that it won’t be tolerated. We will continue to work with our partners such as the local authority and GoSafe to tackle the problem."
GoSafe is an online portal where people can submit video and photo evidence relating to driving offences. It was launched by Welsh police forces alongside Operation Snap - an initiative to make better use of mobile phones and dashcams to collect evidence on reckless and anti-social drivers.
Since the start of Operation Snap, police say submissions have led to "hundreds" of prosecutions across Wales. An investigation into footage recently received of cars speeding along the A470 is ongoing.
Councillor Michelle Symonds, Merthyr council's cabinet member for public protection, crime and disorder, said: "Over the past few months the number of complaints from our residents in relation to car-related anti-social behaviour has increased significantly. We will continue to work in partnership with the Police and encourage our residents to report any issues of this nature to the police as part of their investigations."
If you've captured evidence of dangerous driving, you can upload it via the Operation Snap portal here. To get Merthyr stories straight to your inbox, subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.
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