Safer Neighbourhood Teams Used in Met Operation
Roadblocks were set up in Hammersmith and Fulham this week as part of a police clampdown on illegal drivers.
The Met operation was launched on Monday January 7 with specialist squads tracking down uninsured drivers in north London and impounding cars.
By the end of the year, police expect to have impounded 70,000 illegal vehicles in the capital.
The clampdown has been tested in five London boroughs: Hammersmith and Fulham, Ealing, Lewisham, Hillingdon and Brent, resulting in 4,935 vehicles being seized so far.
It is the first time that Safer Neighbourhood Teams in London's 33 boroughs have had powers to clamp down on illegal drivers - until now that has been the responsibility of police traffic officers.
One in eight motorists in London - or around 375,000 drivers - is believed to be on the road illegally.
Chief Superintendent David Snelling, who is in charge of the Met's traffic unit, said: "Uninsured drivers are a danger to all road users.
"We will use every power available to us to stop these people. Seizing vehicles and taking them away removes the danger immediately and sends a clear message that their illegal behaviour will not be tolerated.
"Every one of my traffic officers has seen the long-lasting pain caused by uninsured drivers who have been involved in fatal collisions." The operation was welcomed by the London Assembly Green Party. Road safety spokeswoman Jenny Jones said: "It is terrible that people are being left for dead by drivers who believe they are beyond the law.
"The sad reality is that failure to stop is part of a well-established pattern of behaviour by drivers who often have no insurance or registration. That is why more and more communities are asking for their local police to take action against bad and illegal drivers."
Emma Midgley
January 11, 2008