Operation Snap video submission helps secure conviction

A motorist has been convicted at Northampton Magistrates’ Court after dash-cam footage which captured his dangerous driving was submitted to Northamptonshire Police’s Operation Snap.

Max Vines, 25, of Fitzwilliam Road, Irthlingborough, was recorded on a driver’s in-car camera driving erratically as he overtook traffic at speed in Cleveland Avenue, Kettering, on September 21 last year.

The dash-cam video was uploaded to the Force’s Operation Snap online portal and when reviewed by police officers, it was calculated that Vines had been driving at more than double the 30mph speed limit.

As a result of the police investigation, Vines was issued with a notice of intended prosecution for dangerous driving after he was named as the driver of the BMW M2 by the fleet company, which owned the high-performance car.

Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Operations Manager, Matthew O’Connell, said: “Vines initially failed to appear for his first court appearance and a warrant was issued for his arrest. After his arrest he appeared in court and was found guilty of dangerous driving.

“The dash-cam footage captured Vines driving at more than double the legal speed limit which could have very easily ended in tragic consequences. I’m pleased the courts have dealt with the driver positively.

“The success of Operation Snap is down to the continued support from the public, who enable us to take action against driving offences we otherwise wouldn’t see, which can only be a good thing to help keep our roads safer.”

Vines was found guilty when he appeared before magistrates on Monday, August 16, and was disqualified from driving for 15 months. He was also ordered to retake his driving test, carry out unpaid community work and pay costs of £180.

People can report driving offences via Operation Snap by uploading video evidence to the online portal on the Force website and complete a form, which automatically creates a witness statement to provide a full account of the incident. Videos must be submitted within 10 days of the offence being committed.

Reports are then triaged by trained police staff, who check the footage to ensure it falls within the scheme's remit and contains clear views of an offender’s number plates so they can be identified.

If it matches the Operation Snap criteria, police officers in the Safer Roads Team then examine the footage. If a driving offence is identified, they will then start legal proceedings where required.

Anyone who submits footage via Operation Snap can now find out the outcome of their submission by following the link on their confirmation email which will take them to a published data file updated monthly.

For more information about Operation Snap or to submit video footage, visit the Northamptonshire Police website at www.northants.police.uk/OpSnap