South Molton police officers conduct a daytime patrol on the A361

Officers from the South Molton Neighbourhood Policing Team carried out an operation recently in conjunction with the Roads Policing Unit at Devon & Cornwall Police.

The daytime operation was on the A361 in South Molton and local officers also had assistance from the Devon & Cornwall Police Commercial Vehicle Unit. They carried out proactive patrols in light of a recent spate of high value caravan thefts and other crimes such as vehicle offences and burglary.

Numerous vehicles were stopped and advice was given to drivers. Police made arrests for offences including driving while disqualified, having no insurance and possession of a class B substance.  

Sergeant Rob Brown, Neighbourhood Team Leader in South Molton police sector, explained: “The aim of the operation was to provide crime prevention advice to motorists but the officers were also looking to be proactive to those people coming into the area who may consider committing crime. Despite the poor weather road conditions were busy and officers provided a highly visible presence, as well as making sure that their operation and checks did not go unnoticed.

“One of the priorities of the South Molton Neighbourhood Team is to decrease crimes such as theft and we are keen to ensure that residents can see and speak to us as much as possible when we are on patrol. This visible presence on the main route into North Devon will hopefully act as a deterrent to those considering entering our beautiful Force area in order to commit crime.

“We want to provide reassurance to those that live in our towns and villages that we are listening to their concerns and taking action.”

There are regular opportunities to meet local police officers in the area and talk to them about any questions or concerns you may have. On Sat 2 March from 9am until 1pm officers will be at South Molton Pannier Market on Broad Street. On Mon 4 March from 10am until midday police will be at Chulmleigh Town Hall and on Thursday 21 March from 9am until 1pm officers will once again be at South Molton Pannier Market with their pop up police station.

Neighbourhood Team officers will be carrying our further operations in the future. To receive updates you can follow @SMoltonPolice on X (previously Twitter) or South Molton Police on Facebook. You can also visit the Force website local policing pages www.devon-cornwall.police.uk. 

Devon & Cornwall Police is a member of the Vision Zero South West Road Safety Partnership which aims to cut fatal and serious collisions. As part of Op Snap people visiting the website can submit video and photographic evidence relating to driving incidents. Please visit Devon and Cornwall Road Safety Team - Devon and Cornwall Road Safety Team (Devon & Cornwall Police) (devon-cornwall.police.uk