‘Operation Edge’: New taxi enforcement operation finds serious vehicle defects on first night

A dedicated police operation looking at the safety and licensing of taxis in York was launched at the weekend finding several serious vehicle defects.

Police in York were assisted by officers from the Special Constabulary and Roads Policing Officers (RPG) to execute ‘Operation Edge’. Key partners also worked on the operation which included the City of York council and the DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency).

The operation was set up to identify taxis that are operating outside of their licence or carrying vehicle faults.

According to North Yorkshire Police sources, several vehicles were stopped on Saturday 13 August, and a number were found to be displaying serious vehicle defects. These defects included illegal tyres; defective brakes and one taxi was operating with a faulty suspension.

Any breaches of licence or mechanical defects were ‘robustly dealt with’ as officers issued several prohibition notices, fixed penalties and repair notices.

PC Dave Ellison from North Yorkshire Police said: “I am grateful to all the taxi drivers who cooperated with the various checks and the partners for their involvement too.

“We were successful in identifying several unroadworthy taxi vehicles which could have caused a serious road traffic collision if they had continued to operate.

“By engaging with taxi drivers and acting where necessary, we were able to improve vehicle safety which is helping improve safety on the roads for everyone.”