Avon and Somerset Police’s Road Policing Unit has launched Operation Scalis to reduce the number of uninsured drivers on local roads.
During the first day of activity this week, 11 uninsured vehicles were seized and a further two insured at the roadside, improving road safety for all users.
Operation Scalis, in partnership with Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) has already successfully been rolled out by eight forces across the UK.
The collaborative initiative involves road policing teams using ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) technology to identify uninsured vehicles before intercepting them.
It is an MIB-led initiative enabling Avon and Somerset Police to dedicate officer time to tackling uninsured driving in key hotspots across the region, identified through uninsured claims submitted to MIB.
Dedicated days will run from April through to August, with funding allocated from MIB’s £5 million investment in increasing their work in getting uninsured drivers off the roads sooner.
Whilst the primary target is uninsured vehicles, any additional criminal activity discovered will also be addressed. During the first day of activity, a vehicle stopped with suspected cloned number plates uncovered a disqualified driver who had previously been stopped for driving uninsured just two weeks prior. In an attempt to avoid a second stop, the driver had used the cloned plates to try and disguise her vehicle.
Cars passing ANPR cameras will be given Operation Tutelage markers if they are found to be uninsured on the Navigate database. They will then be flagged to the police and dealt with at the roadside.
Avon and Somerset Police seized 2,456 uninsured vehicles across the region between January and December in 2024, averaging nearly seven vehicles per day. By expanding Operation Scalis, they aim to surpass these figures to further reduce the risk posed by uninsured vehicles.
Driving uninsured can have severe consequences which include a £300 fine (Fixed Penalty Notice, six points on your licence (which can mean automatic disqualification for some), having your vehicle seized and potentially crushed, court referral that can result in an unlimited fine and a driving ban, driving convictions that can show in background checks impacting job prospects, and a £1,000 average increase on your insurance premium.
Matthew Boiles, roads policing inspector at Avon and Somerset Police, said: “Focusing on identifying and targeting uninsured drivers and vehicles is a crucial action in keeping Avon and Somerset’s roads safe.”
“Operation Scalis is a proactive ANPR initiative that enhances road safety and reduces the financial impact on law-abiding motorists in Avon and Somerset, and we’re delighted to have MIB’s support to make this possible. Alongside the vehicles that are seized for no insurance, the additional criminality we identified through this operation shows how important it is for the force to be using this kind of robust action.”
