Staffordshire’s Cars Behind Bars Praised in Parliament

An on-going crackdown on car insurance dodgers in Staffordshire has been praised in the House of Commons.

Cars Behind Bars was instigated by Staffordshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Ellis.  The campaign has so far seen 375 vehicles seized, some to be scrapped, in just two months.

During Home Office questions this week, Monday 15 July, Home Secretary Theresa May spoke of “…the excellent work that Staffordshire police force is doing to tackle this particular problem, which is an issue that blights many areas up and down the country.  Other forces would do well to look at the example set by Staffordshire police, and recognise the importance of this crime in the eyes of the public and follow its example.”

Mr Ellis said, “The zero tolerance approach on insurance dodgers has proved very popular – people I’ve spoken to across Staffordshire are so enthusiastic about this crackdown.  It’s about fairness for law-abiding motorists who are hit by rising premiums because of these law-breakers.

“People who drive without insurance have nowhere to hide.  They are being caught and dealt with by having their cars seized and, in some cases, scrapped.”

The seized vehicles can be viewed at www.staffordshire.police.uk/carsbehindbars.  Cars Behind Bars uses Staffordshire’s extensive automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) system that identifies those flouting the law.

The fixed penalty fine for people who are caught without insurance is set to increase nationally from £200 to £300 this summer.  Motorists also face their car being seized, could be summoned to court and be disqualified, and an endorsement of six penalty points.  Drivers re-claiming their car when they have proof of insurance have to pay £150 car recovery costs plus £20 per day storage.

Nearly 200,000 motorists have been given the Cars Behind Bars message thanks to petrol pump warning signs in no insurance hotspot areas in Stoke-on-Trent, Burton, Tamworth and Cannock.