ALMOST 6,000 motorists have been hit with a fine as a result of a campaign which sees public supplied footage handed to police.
Operation Snap, which is backed by Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Simon Foster, is designed to educate and prosecute careless and reckless drivers using footage supplied by the public.
Between January and November last year 5,919 motorists were issued with a fixed penalty notice.
Drivers guilty of an offence can be fined up to £200, while footage of dangerous driving sent in to West Midlands Police has seen an increase of 70 per cent with 13,543 videos submitted across the 11-month period at a rate of 1,231 videos per month, on average.
The top reported offences were driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone and running a red light.
As well as almost 6,000 fines issued, more than 2,000 drivers were forced to attend driver awareness courses while 571 were summoned to appear in court due to driving offences.
In 2024, a total of 4,524 Op Snap reporters participated with the most active reporter submitting 539 entries to West Midlands Police.
Each piece of footage sent to the Op Snap team, whether captured on a dash cam, CCTV or a mobile phone held by a passenger, is reviewed by specially-trained officers.
If an offence is identified, the driver can be prosecuted or told to take a driver improvement course.
Mr Foster said: “Putting an end to careless and reckless driving is one of my top priorities, and I know it’s something that matters to the people of the West Midlands.
“These dangerous drivers need to be held to account and face the consequences of their actions. The public can assist us in doing that, so I’d urge anyone who has recorded footage to share it with the police, help bring perpetrators to justice and ultimately reduce the number of people tragically and avoidably killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
Tanya Johnson, who heads up the Operation Snap team, said: “It doesn’t take long a member of the public to file a report and each one makes a real difference to road safety. Every dangerous driver who has been filmed and had to pay the price will, and should, be thinking again about the way they drive.”
Reports to the Op Snap team must be submitted within 10 days of the alleged offence and footage should include the whole incident (and, wherever possible, one minute prior to and after the offence).
Along with the footage, submissions need to include details about the date, time and location of the incident, and the registration, make and colour of the vehicle.
