Unmarked HGV cab 'golden ticket' for road police

An unmarked truck cab has become a "golden ticket" for catching offending motorists, Surrey Police has said.

Operation Tramline has been helping forces across England to catch drivers on their phones for the past 10 years, giving officers a top-down view into driving seats.

Sgt Dan Pascoe, who joined the operation in March 2015 and is now in charge for Surrey and Sussex Police, said the number of offenders was tailing off as the message was "getting through".

He said: "The truck gives us an invaluable observation point."

The Operation Tramline cabin has been used for more than 13,000 hours by forces nationally since 2015, National Highways said.

The most common offences recorded over the last decade have been not wearing a seatbelt (14,861) and using a mobile phone (13,553).

One Surrey driver defended their use of a mobile phone by saying they had a new girlfriend and their song came on the radio, so they needed to call them.

Just last month, police spotted three drivers in Surrey without their hands on the wheel while using their phones, National Highways said.

Sgt Pascoe said: "Vehicles have been getting progressively higher over the years, but this cab is a golden ticket enabling us to see over into pretty much every vehicle."

Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner, National Police Chiefs' Council lead for road policing, said: "Driving while distracted is incredibly dangerous and selfish, putting many lives at risk and as the statistics show, it can all too often end in tragedy."

She said the Operation Tramline results "speak for themselves in showing just how valuable it is and how the perspective from the truck cab enhances officers' view of the road".

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