They may be a slight annoyance for the everyday motorist, but routine traffic stops are an important part of neighbourhood policing… one that is designed to keep all road users safe and ultimately reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Armagh I were invited by Armagh Neighbourhood Policing team to attend a joint operation with the DVA on Wednesday (February 17) as part of four days of pre-scheduled “ride-alongs”.
For the first engagement of the week, we were keen to find out the PSNI’s key objectives for checkpoint operations like this one, what the processes are and their overall targets.
It was a less than favourable day to be standing in the middle of a road stopping traffic. Rain and sleet were pelting down from as early as 8.30am. It was clear I wasn’t the only one who didn’t really fancy standing outside for hours on end – the officers were just as unimpressed!
But even before leaving Armagh police station at 9am, it had been made repeatedly clear that enforcement was not the day’s primary objective.
Sergeant Duffin, of Armagh Neighbourhood Policing, explained to the team that the core focus of the operation was “education and guidance”, with enforcement action to be taken only when absolutely necessary.
What we witnessed throughout the course of the day stood to that.
The operation had been proposed by Constable Thompson some months prior in response to high numbers of road traffic collisions and fatalities across the region and the subsequent increasing public concern for road safety.
Indeed, the ABC area is the second highest council district in Northern Ireland for road traffic casualties, according to the latest police statistics. It’s then closely followed by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area and second only to Belfast City.
Constable Thompson led the operation which began with an initial checkpoint in the layby outside Dougan Tyres shortly after 9am. Officials from the DVA then assisted police by checking stopped vehicles for road worthiness.
One of the attending DVA officials explained to Armagh I that when assisting police they are proactively looking along the stream of traffic for potential defects, including “bald tyres”, “vehicles leaning to one side”, “illegal licence plates” and “window tints”, among other modifications and potentially dangerous defects.
They also run checks on vehicle registrations to ensure MOT certificates are up to date. Additionally, police use their own systems to perform independent checks on both drivers and vehicles.
All of this is to ensure ultimate road safety for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Speaking to Armagh I, the DVA official said he felt these operations were “so important” and spoke particularly passionately about ensuring people were educated in regards to vehicle modification and insurance.
Giving window tints as an example, he explained that they often see cars with strong black tints that allow much less than 75% of light through (the legal standard in the UK).
With any modification, he says, your insurance company must be notified. If not notified and an accident occurs, you may be rendered uninsured.
This particular official had attended a school talk with the Armagh Neighbourhood Policing team the week before to educate teenagers on the importance of maintaining road legal vehicles and making responsible modifications to cars without impacting on safety and insurance. It was an early intervention preventative measure he was pleased to be involved with.
At the first checkpoint one driver was provided with guidance on a defective headlight before police moved onto their second location close to Gosford Forest Park and the main Markethill junction.
Here, several road users were again issued with guidance. One individual was found to be driving without a valid MOT certificate. Police and DVA allowed the motorist time to make a booking at the roadside before continuing on their journey.
Another driver, found to be towing a trailer with an unsecured load, was also given time to make secure their cargo before going on their way.
One car did turn around while waiting in the queue of traffic. This was spotted by a DVA official who alerted police.
Police caught up with the driver to ask for their reasons for alighting and to inform them it is an offence to evade a police road traffic operation. However, no further action was taken.
The operation then progressed to a third and final checkpoint near the Stonebridge roundabout outside Richhill.
At this location one vehicle was issued with enforcement action for having two defective tyres. DVA officials completed a roadside MOT and also discovered an additional fault with the vehicle’s anti-lock braking system (ABS).
The driver will now receive three penalty points to their licence and their vehicle was fitted with two new tyres before being allowed to leave the location.
Despite the difficult weather conditions, police felt the operation extremely worthwhile and all were pleased to see so many vehicles in good, road legal condition.
One officer even reported having had several conversations with drivers who said they were glad to see them out and took the opportunity to suggest other areas that may warrant similar action in the future.
All in all, Constable Thompson summarised the day’s activity by saying: “If it saves one life it’s worth doing. It’s not about delaying drivers or taking up their time. It’s also not about taking enforcement action against drivers.
“We just want to do our best to keep everyone safe on the roads and limit the dangers. Anyone can be guilty of not thoroughly checking their car from time-to-time and that’s why the education aspect of this is so important.”
