90 vehicles including supercars worth millions seized in crackdown on antisocial driving

Officers from the Met, supported by MIB, seized a total of 90 vehicles worth more than £8 million between Friday, 7 August and Sunday, 9 August in an operation targeting uninsured drivers, anti-social and dangerous driving across Hyde Park, Kensington and Chelsea. This is the highest number and value of vehicles seized in the operation’s five-year history.

This included a Ferrari Monza SP2, which had only been in the UK for a day, for driving without insurance and not in accordance with a licence. The motorist only had a provisional driving licence and had been in the car for less than half an hour when he was stopped by Met officers. The exclusive supercar was one of only 499 made by the Italian brand, with one model selling at auction for $4,995,000 (£3.7million) earlier this year.

The operation featured 120 officers, including 95 from the Met’s Special Constabulary and Vehicle Enforcement Team, backed by MIB's expertise in uninsured driving prevention and advanced roadside support.

Every week someone in the UK is killed by an uninsured driver, with daily cases of life-altering injuries. Offences often intersect with wider criminal activity, including drug offences, drink-driving an illegal street-racing.

The weekend's action also worked to tackle growing public concern over disruptive driving behaviours, including those linked to visiting motorists who have failed to follow UK insurance laws. While many visitors enjoy the capital responsibly, a lack of awareness around licensing and policy requirements has increasingly led to unsafe practices.

Officers used several methods to identify uninsured drivers, all enabled by MIB’s insurance database Navigate, enabling officers to swiftly identify and confirm uninsured vehicles. These included ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition), predictive movement tracking and vehicle markers.

During this operation, alongside the 90 vehicles seized, stops for suspected insurance offences also enabled officers to detect a range of other criminal activity, including:

• A man who was found with 19 bank cards in other people’s names and more than £2,500 in cash, who was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods and money laundering

• A man who was stopped for driving without insurance and found to have £5,500 in cash, who was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A, B and C drugs

• A man who was arrested for using words and behaviour that would likely cause harassment, alarm, and distress to a member of public

• A man who was arrested on suspicion of an immigration offence

The weekend of action also identified a number of uninsured drivers who were caught out by common insurance mistakes. This included drivers whose insurance noted the wrong registration or vehicle and drivers whose insurance did not cover UK driving, highlighting the ongoing need for MIB’s efforts to educate all UK motorists on their motor insurance responsibilities.

Angus Eaton, CEO at MIB, said: “Operations like these show that the rules apply to all motorists, regardless of the value of the vehicle they chose to drive. We know that while many offenders knowingly violate the law, others that aim to be law-abiding motorists may be caught out by making a genuine insurance mistake.

“We want to help all motorists understand the importance of having the right insurance because the consequences of not having insurance or getting the right cover for their needs are severe and long-lasting.

“We urge all motorists to check they have cover in place and that it’s adequate for them, their vehicle, and their journey types.”

Motorists can easily check their vehicle’s insurance status on MIB’s insurance database at www.checkyourvehicle.org.uk, with insurance tips and common mistakes available on our 'Learn about insurance' pages.