Operation Vanquish targets road crime in Blackpool

Police spent a day tackling rod crime in Blackpool last week as part of a county wide operation.

Officers operated a number of checkpoints across the town and also carried out targeted stops where information suggested a motorist may be regularly drink or drug-driving, as part of Operation Vanquish.

This was in addition to general activity going on across the rest of the county, as part of a fortnight of surge activity to target those who use the roads for criminality – from speeding to transporting stolen vehicles or couriering drugs.

Over the course of the day across the county police made eight arrests and 13 people were summonsed to court. Eight vehicles were also seized for having no insurance while ten people were found to have been drink or drug-driving.

The vehicle pictured had been stopped doing 44mph in a 30mph zone on Squires Gate Lane, Blackpool, and the driver was given a ticket.

Sgt Steven Burton, of the Lancashire Police TacOps team, said: “Operation Vanquish has been running to clamp down on road-related crime all over the county, but on certain days we have also been focusing more resources on specific areas.

“On Friday we were in Blackpool and to all the people who were stopped and found to be law-abiding, we say a huge thankyou. We also want to say how much we appreciated some members of the public coming over to say hello to our officers and to ask us about the operation.

“Of course this kind of activity is part and parcel of our daily business but we hope the fortnight of Vanquish action sends a message about how seriously we take this kind of criminality. We will not stand for people putting others’ lives at risk on the roads.”

You can report any information you have about road-related crime on 101 or online at doitonline.lancashire.police.uk.