Fifty reasons why Richmondshire's roads are safer

May was a bad month for uninsured and criminal drivers in Richmondshire, after police took more than 50 vehicles off the roads - including this one:

Handheld technology, rolled out to Neighbourhood Policing teams and Response teams in Richmondshire last year, has helped local officers identify travelling criminals more quickly.

Last month, the tech helped us seize at least 56 vehicles which were uninsured or linked to crime. That means at least 469 vehicles have been taken off the roads by officers in Richmondshire since October 2023.

Inspector Martin Metcalfe, of the Richmondshire Community Team, said: "Up here in Richmondshire, we patrol some of the most remote and sparsely-populated communities in northern England.

"So seizing vehicles linked to crime is a very effective way of stopping criminals who travel here, before they’ve even had chance to commit an offence.

"With the use of this technology, which my team and other officers can use through a mobile phone, we can identify potential criminals and other illegal road users more quickly and on a wider scale."

Vehicles seized by police are taken to secure compounds, and may be crushed and recycled if they are not claimed after a certain period.

Insp Metcalfe added: "One of the reasons vehicle seizures are effective is because they disrupt criminality, as offenders who travel into rural areas no longer have the means to move around.

"As well as patrolling larger roads such as the A66, we also patrol smaller rural roads that are known routes for travelling criminals. Sometimes suspects we arrest are surprised that we know where they were, or the routes they were using. In reality, we know the area far better than most criminals.

"So my message to anyone thinking of coming to Richmondshire to commit crime is very simple – the odds are really not in their favour and they’ll be making a huge mistake."