Rural Crime Teams work together to disrupt criminals using the roads

Officers from Northamptonshire Police joined colleagues from neighbouring forces and partner agencies as part of a day of action targeting those using the cross-border road network to commit crime.

Led by the Rural Crime Team, the operation was carried out in partnership with their counterparts at Leicestershire and Warwickshire Police, as well as colleagues from the Roads Policing, Safer Roads, Neighbourhood Policing and Serious Collision Investigation Teams.

Representatives from the National Rural Crime Unit, National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) Enforcement, National Construction Agricultural Theft Team, Equipment Register and Datatag also joined officers for the event on Thursday, February 6.

Throughout the day, officers intercepted vehicles travelling on the A5 and M1 motorway, stopping and escorting 44 drivers to a check site at Crick where checks were carried out on both the driver and their vehicles by the various agencies.

Of those stopped, the driver of a white Ford Transit van was arrested on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs. He was subsequently charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

On Friday, February 21, at Northampton Magistrates’ Court, Trene Payne, aged 25, of Masser Road, Coventry, he pleaded guilty to the charge. He was disqualified from driving for 12 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay £88 court costs and £48 victim surcharge.

Another driver will be receiving a Notice of Intended Prosecution in the post after they failed to stop after being directed into the check site by police officers.

The DVSA issued 27 immediate and delayed prohibition notices in total, for various offences including general poor maintenance, unroadworthy tyres, no tachograph as well as carrying excess loads – making the vehicles overweight.

One of the vehicles which was stopped had sustained severe damage – however, despite this the DPD driver had continued to use the vehicle minus its headlight and indicator!

Those issued with immediate notices were prevented from leaving the check site until defects and offences had been fixed. Drivers who received a delayed notice for minor defects were allowed to continue their journey and have up to 10 days to fix the defect before the vehicle is inspected again.

A further five drivers had vehicles seized, this included an Ifor Williams trailer which was suspected to be stolen, and a car towing a caravan without insurance. Others were seized for having no vehicle tax or insurance.

Northamptonshire Rural Crime and Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Johnny Davis-Lyons said: “This is just one of many good examples of partnership working at its best as both the A5 and M1 border all three counties.

“From a rural crime point of view, much of our work is investigating and preventing thefts from farms and rural businesses, in which agricultural and machinery equipment is often stolen, and then transported using our road network.

“Operations such as this are the perfect opportunity for police forces and partner agencies to all work together and not only check the legitimacy of such vehicles using our roads but also improve road safety, ensuring those using our roads are doing so legally and responsibly.”

PC Hutch Hutchings from the Northamptonshire Police Rural Crime Team added: “This operation is the start of things to come, and we will continue to hold similar days of action throughout 2025 and into 2026.

“Bringing all the policing departments and partners together for days of actions, we are making our road networks unattractive to those intent on committing crime in our counties. By denying criminals access to our borders, we are having an impact on their illegal activities.”

Anyone with information about rural crime or any road safety concerns is asked to report it online at www.northants.police.uk/reportonline or call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Always call 999 in the event of an emergency, such as a crime in progress or where life is at risk.