Record number of videos submitted during first six months of 2022

During the first six months of this year, Northamptonshire Police received a record number of video submissions to Operation Snap.

Since the launch of online portal three years ago, which enables people to report driving offences via the Force website, the Safer Roads Team has seen an increase in the uploading of video evidence.

In fact, between January 1 and June 30 this year, 758 videos were submitted by 438 individual witnesses compared to 405 clips for the same period last year – an increase of 87 per cent.

This has resulted in the number of video submissions leading to further action also rising during this period with a total of 482 Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) letters being sent to registered owners compared to 200 in 2021.

Videos have ranged from driving dangerously to drivers not being in proper control of their vehicle, driving without due care and attention, overtaking on solid white lines, ignoring traffic lights, and carrying excessive passengers.

Driving without due care and attention remained the most common offences with 281 incidents captured on camera footage, followed by failing to comply with red traffic light signal (75).

However, during the six-month period, there has also been nine reported incidents of dangerous driving. Due to their serious nature of the investigations, the drivers will be summoned to face court proceedings.

Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads Team Operations Manager, Matthew O’Connell, said: “Alongside our Northamptonshire Safer Roads Alliance partners, improving the standard of driving and behaviour on our roads remains our priority.

“Through education and enforcement, where necessary, we need to stop people putting themselves and other road users at risk because they do not believe they will get caught.

“Since the launch of Operation Snap, we now have additional pairs of eyes helping us to keep our roads safer and the chances of getting caught for committing traffic offences has increased.

“Over the past three years it has proved an invaluable tool and with the continued support of the public, we hope it encourages all road users to use our road network legally and responsibly, to help improve road safety across the county.”

People can report driving offences by uploading video evidence via a simple online portal on the Force website and completing a form, which automatically creates a witness statement to provide a full account of the incident.

Reports are then triaged by trained police staff, who check the footage to ensure it falls within the scheme's remit and contains clear views of an offender’s number plates so they can be identified.

If it matches the Operation Snap criteria, police officers in the Safer Roads Team then examine the footage. If a driving offence is identified, legal proceedings will begin where required.

The team only has 14 days to investigate any offences and members of the public are asked to submit their videos as soon after the incident as possible to allow the maximum time for the footage to be reviewed.

Anyone who submits footage via Operation Snap can find out the outcome of their submission by following the link on their confirmation email which will take them to a monthly update.

For more information about Operation Snap or to submit video footage, visit the Northamptonshire Police website at www.northants.police.uk/OpSnap