More than 170 arrests and hundreds of vehicles seized in dangerous driving crackdown in the West Midlands

West Midlands Police's Road Policing Unit made 179 arrests and recovered 650 vehicles, including more than 400 that were uninsured, in January. 

The Road Crimes Team (RCT) have been targeting serious and organised criminals who use the West Midlands' road networks and the road harm prevention team have been working to drive down the number of people killed or seriously injured in collisions.

It was revealed that in January alone stolen cars worth £674,000, and drugs worth around $64,950 were recovered, and police made 28 arrests for offences ranging from drug dealing to arson, burglary, robbery, theft of cars and dangerous driving. 

Notable incidents in the month of action include:

• Three stolen vehicles were recovered in one night after pursuits in the West Midlands, with six people arrested for offences ranging from burglary to drug dealing.

• A driver was arrested after a Ford Focus ST, which was stolen in Halesowen,  was spotted in Wolverhampton. It was pursued by officers before the driver crashed and unsuccessfully tried to ram his way past officers who boxed him in. 

• A cloned Vauxhall Astra was recovered in Bearwood after it had been stolen in a robbery. The car was pursued before being stung. Both people inside fled on foot. One managed to get away but the other was arrested and returned to prison as he was already wanted for recall. 

• A 16-year-old driver was arrested after the recently stolen Ford Focus he was driving was spotted in Tyseley and made off from officers. He was arrested with the help of the police helicopter after fleeing on foot into a park.

• The discovery of a chop shop following the pursuit of a stolen Range Rover and two arrests. Inside the chop shop, police found two more stolen vehicles and multiple stolen car parts. 

Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of the RPU, said: "We’ve had some fantastic successes since October’s launch. Our officers are absolutely dedicated to making the roads safer and removing criminals from behind the wheels of cars where they can cause real damage.

"We know that too many people are still being killed and seriously injured on our roads, and our Road Harm officers are committed to educating and taking action against drivers who put themselves and others at risk with their driving."

As part of the action, the force is continuing to ask those affected to send images and videos of road crime or dangerous driving to the Operation Snap team, which reviews over 1,000 clips of dash and helmet cameras each month. 

Anyone with images or videos of dangerous driving or road crime can send them into the Operation Snap team on the West Midlands Police website.