Drivers were stopped for speeding and an illegal e-bike was seized near a school during a police operation targeting rural crime across the north of Milton Keynes.
Local Conservative Councillors Shazna Muzammil, Alison Andrew and Keith McLean joined officers from Thames Valley Police as part of Operation Drover.
Operation Drover is an initiative run by Thames Valley Police that focuses on tackling crime in the rural areas, working with residents, farmers, council officers, councillors and community groups to tackle issues such as theft of farm vehicles and equipment, speeding and fly tipping.
Officers from the TVP Rural Crime Task Force, TVP Roads Policing, TVP Central MK, Milton Keynes City Council’s Trading Standards and Environmental Crime teams plus Northamptonshire’s Rural Crime Task Force supplemented the TVP MK North Neighbourhood Police Team for the Operation.
During the operation, officers stopped several vehicles at targeted locations following concerns raised by residents about speeding on rural roads.
Councillor Alison Andrew joined officers monitoring traffic in Stoke Goldington and Hanslope, where drivers were pulled over and spoken to, with some receiving tickets.
Cllr Alison Andrew said
‘I work closely with the local team, and it was great to join them in action. On Wednesday I joined them checking speeds in Stoke Goldington and Hanslope. Drivers were pulled and spoken to or ticketed. I was also on board for a ‘blue light run’ incident that resulted in an unlicensed, uninsured e-bike being seized as it neared a school at pick up time. It is a privilege to join the teams and see a snapshot of the work they are doing every day to keep us safe and tackle the issues directly.”
Cllr Keith McLean joined officers patrolling areas around Newport Pagnell, where several incidents of fly-tipping were identified and reported.
During one stop, police used Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to identify a vehicle of interest and conducted a roadside drug test.
Cllr McLean added
“It never ceases to amaze me the dedication, professionalism and drive that officers demonstrate when I join these operations. The officers I travelled with also appreciated that the three of us were prepared to join them to gain a more inciteful understanding of the challenges they are exposed to each day. This was the first time I had seen a drug wipe undertaken when a vehicle was stopped in Newport Pagnell; it was a long 8 minutes until the roadside test indicated the driver was over the prescribed limit for cannabis. The “stop” was due to the onboard Auto Number Plate Recognition identifying the vehicle as being of interest – ANPR is a great tool for the police.”
Cllr Muzammil added:
“It was a real privilege to join officers during Operation Drover and see the level of coordination involved.
Rural crime can have a serious impact on residents and farmers, so it was reassuring to see teams working together across policing and local authorities to tackle these issues directly. We would also like to extend our appreciation and gratitude to all of the officers out with us and all those involved for the work they do to protect our communities and keep us all safe”
