Northern Ireland Office

“Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour is one of the Government’s key priorities” said John Spellar, Criminal Justice Minister at the official launch of Operation Clean Up, where he crushed one of the first vehicles removed from public roads under this new initiative.

“Untaxed vehicles present a threat to both other motorists and pedestrians and are often used as tools to commit crime.  Abandoned vehicles both present a clear fire risk and blight neighbourhoods in which they have been dumped.

“Pilot projects both in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the UK have already shown that Operation Clean Up is very effective in reducing crime.  By denying criminals access to the type of transport we know they use such as low value, untaxed vehicles we can help to protect the community from the impact of crime.

“Operation Clean Up is a multi-agency project which enables the police to target and remove vehicles from public roads which have been untaxed for 3 months or more.  These types of vehicles, known as “run-abouts” or “run-arounds” have caused real difficulties within communities across Northern Ireland, both through being used to commit crime and being driven recklessly and dangerously in the streets.  Vehicles removed by the project are destroyed, if not reclaimed by their owners, who have to prove they have been taxed or pay a surety.

“This is an excellent model of partnership working to deliver safer communities in Northern Ireland.  I am very pleased that over the next 2½ years that the criminal justice system, through the NIO’s Community Safety Unit will be investing around £1m in this project”.

Notes to Editors

• The main partners in this project are
• NIO Community Safety Unit
• Belfast City Council
• PSNI
• Northern Ireland Fire Brigade
• Driver and Vehicle Licensing Northern Ireland.

• The project builds on the work of previous pilots in 2002 and 2003.  This project however will run from now until March 2007, by which time the continuous licensing regime will be fully implemented which will enable closer tracking of unlicensed vehicles.