A Littlehampton PCSO is helping to
clamp down on stubborn drivers who refuse to pay their
road tax, by taking their vehicles off the road.
Ray Fraser, the Littlehampton Neighbourhood Specialist
Team's newest recruit, arranged for a DVLA Removal and
Clamping Team to come to Littlehampton and worked with
them and the rest of his new team to identify suitable
vehicles. The operation proved to be hugely productive,
with twenty vehicles being removed for having an
out-of-date tax disc (or no disc at all).
Ray said: "The operation was a great success and keeping
an eye out for untaxed vehicles is something I intend to
be a regular feature of my work."
Ray's sergeant, Peter Allan, said:
"I'm really pleased with this successful initiative. Ray
is a new member of the team and I was glad to see him
'hit the ground running'. Untaxed vehicles are an issue
that regularly feature in calls from the public. It's
good that we can show tangible results to their
concerns.
"The DVLA estimates that there are 2.19 million untaxed
vehicles in Great Britain and I am glad we can play our
small part in reducing that figure. Ray intends to run
these operations on a regular basis. My message to the
residents of Littlehampton is, 'Make sure you're not
next, tax your vehicle'."
Members of the public can report unlicensed vehicles to
DVLA Online or by ringing 08000 325 202.
For clamped vehicles the release fee is high, £80. In
addition, a valid vehicle licence must also be produced.
If a licence cannot be produced, a surety (£120 for a
car or motorcycle, up to £600 for other vehicles) must
be paid before the vehicle can be released. The surety
payment is forfeited if a valid tax disc is not produced
within two weeks.
In addition to the national scheme, DVLA is also able to
authorise local authorities and police forces to wheel
clamp and impound untaxed vehicles in their area.
Our picture, which appears courtesy of the Littlehampton
Gazette, shows Ray next to one of the impounded
vehicles.
ILLEGAL drivers were warned today:
'There's no way out'.
Dorset Police have teamed up with the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to launch a
crackdown on untaxed vehicles.
Covert operations are planned with the
agencies using the latest technology to help them detect
rogue vehicles, which are often linked to other crimes.
Both the DVLA and Dorset Police use
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology which
checks plates against a list of untaxed vehicles in seconds.
The head of the road policing unit in
Dorset, Chief Inspector Rick Dowell, said: "We believe our
crackdown on untaxed vehicles will help to prevent criminals
from using the roads and aid the detection of crime in
Dorset.
"We also want to warn other drivers on the
roads that untaxed vehicles are less likely to be roadworthy
as drivers require a valid MoT as well as insurance in order
to tax their vehicles."
It is estimated that car tax evaders cost
taxpayers an estimated £220 million per year. Operations
elsewhere suggest up to 70 per cent of the occupants of
untaxed vehicles are involved in other criminal activity.
Chief Insp Dowell said: "Untaxed vehicles
are identified from DVLA records and issued with a penalty.
"Those who think they can avoid this by
failing to register their details with DVLA, or who refuse
to pay the penalty, are then targeted through a national
wheel clamping operation, which can result in the offenders'
cars being clamped, impounded and crushed.
"We work closely with the DVLA enforcement
field officers to trace untaxed vehicles, conducting special
operations with enforcement bodies. So, while they are
tackling the tax evaders we can find out whether those same
offenders have been up to any other criminal activity."
Chief Insp Dowell added: "Our message to
persistent car and motorcycle tax evaders is clear - there
is no way out and no chance to avoid detection.
"We are determined to keep our roads safe
and tackling car tax evaders is a key part of our strategy."