The Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, has praised the work of the public and police after a record number of careless and reckless drivers have faced the consequences of their criminal and anti-social behaviour, thanks to footage sent in directly to West Midlands Police.
The force has received more than 11,000 submissions to its dashcam portal in a year, as responsible members of the public and road users around the region, help slam the brakes on careless and reckless motorists, who put people’s lives at risk.
Thousands of people have sent in dashcam, helmet cam and mobile footage showing careless and reckless driving behind the wheel, that puts people’s lives at risk.
The campaign is part of the force’s Operation Snap, an initiative to educate and prosecute drivers using footage supplied by the public.
In 2017, West Midlands Police had just 208 reports sent in but, by 2023, that figure rocketed to 7,145.
In the last 12 months, though, more than 11,000 videos have been submitted, including 1,467 submissions in June 2024 alone, at a rate of 50 videos sent in per day.
The dramatic increase has been driven by increased investment in Operation Snap, that was secured by the Police and Crime Commissioner which, in turn, has enabled West Midlands Police to allocate additional resources to the scheme.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster, who has invested £180,000 into the dashcam footage scheme, said: “I am pleased to see that the additional funding I secured and that has been invested in Operation Snap, is now enabling members of the public to increasingly work with the police, to prevent and tackle careless and reckless drivers, whose actions put people’s lives at risk.
“For every 10 films sent in by the public, nine of them are resulting in a positive outcome, which is sending a clear message, that if people drive carelessly and recklessly, then it is increasingly likely that they will be caught and face the consequences of their criminal and anti-social behaviour and that putting people’s lives at risk will not be tolerated.
“I am committed to constant and unremitting action, to ensure that West Midlands Police and partners locally, regionally and nationally, are doing everything within their power to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour and reduce the number of people tragically and avoidably killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
Sgt Steve Evans, who heads up the Operation Snap team, added: “Road safety is an absolute priority for West Midlands Police and the work of our team is making a real difference.
“Around 90 per cent of the submissions we get end in positive action. That can be everything from a warning letter, up to prosecution and a day in court. One driver has previously received a suspended prison sentence as a result of footage sent to the Op Snap team.
“It doesn’t take long to do, and people who do take the time to send us their clips are making a real difference to road safety.
“Every one of the people who’ve been filmed like this and have had to pay the price should now be thinking again about the way they drive.”
Send your footage to the Op Snap team: Operation Snap | West Midlands Police
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