Police officers take over Doncaster for Operation Scorpion and find £50,000 worth of stolen vehicles

Last Wednesday, April 13, roads policing officers, firearms officers and the off road bike intervention team, supported by the Doncaster West and North East Neighbourhood Teams, pro-actively patrolled the Doncaster district, seizing stolen vehicles and carrying out speed checks.

The team focussed on those who use vehicles and bikes illegally to commit further crimes.

During the day officers seized three stolen vehicles. Firstly, a Ford Transit Tipper was seized from Coal Pit Road in Denaby. The vehicle was on false registration plates and had damage to the ignition from the offenders.

A second vehicle, a Range Rover Evoque, was recovered from Pastures Road in Mexborough. The car was displaying false registration plates and believed to be linked to crimes in Wath-Upon-Dearne last month.

A third vehicle, a Land Rover Discovery, was recovered from Cardigan Road in Intake. The car is believed to have been stolen from a pub in Doncaster a few days earlier and following forensic testing will be returned to its owner. The total value of stolen vehicles recovered was approximately £50,000.

While patrolling, five drivers were also stopped and reported on summons for driving with no insurance, not wearing a seatbelt and having no road tax and driving while disqualified.

Speed checks were carried out by the Safety Camera Partnership in Edlington, Cross Bank, Dunscroft, Thorne, Spotbrough and Balby on 30mph roads.

Head of Safety Cameras & Ticket Processing Scott Dearne talks about the results. He said: “We are committed to creating safer roads across South Yorkshire and drivers all have a part to play in achieving this. A few miles per hour over the speed limit can be the difference between life and death when involved in a collision.

“Speed limits are there for a reason, they are a limit not a target.

“During the day, 65 drivers were found to be driving over the limit, with one driver reaching 49mph, 19mph over the speed limit.

“The consequences of this could be fatal. Please remember to adhere to the speed limit, no one foresees they will be involved in a collision, but how would you feel if you were responsible for the death of someone?”

The ORBIT team conducted patrols in the Consibrough area following concerns from the local community.

Superintendent of the Operational Support Unit Lydia Lynskey said: “Our officers are committed to intercepting those who use the roads of South Yorkshire to commit crime and cause harm in our communities.

“Sometimes the simplest of vehicle stops lead to some of the offenders linked to serious and organised crime being detained. Days of action such as Operation Scorpion allow us to proactively focus resources into specific areas and target offenders.

“We continue to urge our communities to report suspicious activity to us, through our online reporting form or 101, this helps us gather intelligence and shape our activity.”

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