Thousands of motorists slapped with £200 penalty for driving offences after being caught by members of public
West Midlands Police use Operation Snap to help catch drivers breaking the rules
West Midlands Police
Thousands of motorists have been hit with fines of up to £200 for breaking major driving laws across the West Midlands.
Police recorded more than 6,000 cases of dangerous driving offences by drivers who were caught on camera by members of the public.
The crackdown comes through Operation Snap, an initiative backed by Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster which allows the public to submit footage of dangerous driving.
Between January and November 2024, a total of 5,919 drivers received fixed penalty notices based on video evidence submitted by citizens.
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Nearly 6,000 drivers were issued penalties after being caught breaking the law
GETTYThe initiative has seen a dramatic 70 per cent increase in public submissions, with 13,543 videos sent to West Midlands Police during the 11-month period.
This represents an average of 1,231 videos being submitted each month by concerned citizens.
The most active participant in the scheme submitted 539 entries to the police during 2024, demonstrating the public's commitment to road safety.
Birmingham saw the highest number of submissions with 8,218 reports, followed by Coventry with 2,177 incidents reported.
The top reported offences included driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone and running red lights.
Beyond the fixed penalties, more than 2,000 drivers were required to attend driver awareness courses. A further 571 motorists were summoned to appear in court due to their driving offences. The initiative also resulted in 3,289 warning letters being issued to drivers between January and November 2024.
Tanya Johnson, who leads the Operation Snap team, said: "Road safety is an absolute priority for West Midlands Police and the work of our specialised team is already making a real difference.
"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."
The data revealed Ford vehicles were most frequently reported with 1,641 cases, followed by Volkswagen with 1,377 and Mercedes with 1,313 incidents.
The age group submitting the most reports was 45-54 years old, accounting for 3,705 submissions between January and November 2024.
This was followed by those aged 35-44 with 3,058 reports, and 55-64 year olds with 2,930 submissions.
The youngest age group, 18-24, submitted 397 reports, while those aged 65 and over contributed 2,010 cases.
BMW and Audi rounded out the top five most reported vehicle makes, with 1,224 and 1,128 cases respectively.
Operation Snap relies on 4,524 registered participants who submit footage captured on dash cams, CCTV or mobile phones held by passengers.
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Ford cars were the most reported vehicles to the police by members of the public
PAFoster added: "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."
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