PCC joins operation against rogue traders on M25

PCC joins operation against rogue traders on M25

Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend has hailed the success of another operation in the fight against rogue traders in Surrey, with over 80% of vehicle stops leading to prosecution in just one day.   

Stop checks were carried out on 26 trade vehicles during the day of action at Clacket Lane services on the M25.  

It was part of Operation Replicate - where police and partners targeted criminals over the course of a week in locations in Surrey and bordering counties. 

Police teams at Clacket Lane were joined by partners from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, Motor Insurance Bureau, the Environment Agency and Tandridge District Council.  

Surreys' officers helped to determine whether there were any insurance, driver licence, operating licence or motor offences, checked for any stolen goods or metals on board vehicles and for any signs of modern slavery or immigration offences.  

Six arrests were made - three on suspicion of theft, two for drug driving and one for assaulting police. Eight vehicles were seized, five drivers were reported for summons, five vehicles prohibited from use and eight fixed penalty notices were issued.  

The operation was arranged by Surrey’s Serious Organised Crime Partnership, chaired by the PCC, which helps co-ordinate the approach to tackling the issue of rogue trading in Surrey.  

Residents in the UK lose over £400m a year to ‘doorstep crime’ where they are pressured into paying huge sums of money for work to their homes that is either not needed or is vastly overcharged. The true figure is likely to be much higher.  

Police and Crime Commissioner Lisa Townsend said: “Rogue trading is a despicable crime, often targeting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities in their own homes. 

“We know that much of this type of offending is perpetrated by organised criminal gangs crossing county borders in search of victims. That is why operations like this are so important in disrupting this type of activity and making life harder for those criminals.  

“It was fantastic to join the operation on the M25 and see at close quarters how police and other agencies work together to crackdown on rogue trader criminals coming into Surrey."