Post by Hickman on Nov 23, 2005 2:58:27 GMT -5
[shadow=red,left,300]POLICE OPERATION:10 arrests in illegal workers crackdown[/shadow]
TEN people were arrested today during a crackdown on illegal workers and benefit cheats.
Dozens of cars, minibuses and a coach travelling along the A15 from Peterborough towards factories in Lincolnshire were pulled over by a team of more than 20 police officers, between 5am and 9am today.
One man was arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified, and nine others were arrested in connection with immigration offences, including working without a permit and using a false identity
The spot checks marked the start of Operation Dreadnought, launched by Cambridgeshire police in conjunction with the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Peterborough City Council.
Inspector Mark Rogers, who is leading the operation, said the vehicle occupants were questioned to check their immigration status, that they had permission to work and that they were not working and claiming benefits.
He said: "We know that a large number of people travel from Peterborough to Lincolnshire each morning, and we suspect that some may be working illegally.
"The operation has been launched to find out exactly how many are breaking the law, and to stop them doing it.
"It may be that the majority of workers are doing nothing wrong, but it is important we catch those who choose to ignore the law."
The vehicles stopped were also checked to ensure they were roadworthy, taxed and insured.
An automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) system was used by officers to help identify suspicious vehicles.
Two cars were taken away by the city council and impounded because they were untaxed.
The owners will now have to pay an £80 fine, buy a tax disc and produce registration documents to get them back. (we need a real deterent,any crime against the state should mea immediate deportation)
A large queue of vehicles built up in a side road off the A15, as those who had been pulled over waited to be questioned in a mobile police station.
Immigration officials used hi-tech scanners to check fingerprints as part of the identification process.
Ricardo Pimentel (45), from Westwood, Peterborough, was stopped as he drove to work at the Bourne Salads factory in Spalding Road.( another one on the hickman "banned"list)
Mr Pimentel, who is originally from Brazil, has Portuguese nationality and is entitled to work legally in the UK.
He said: "My colleagues and I got stopped because we look foreign and have foreign accents.
"I am annoyed that I am going to be late for work, but I can understand why the police do this sort of thing."
Numberplate tracing system a success
AUTOMATIC numberplate recognition (ANPR) systems have been used by Cambridgeshire police for the past three years.
Special cameras record the numberplates of passing vehicles and check them against a national database.
The technology was used last week by detectives in Bradford, who arrested five Somalis on suspicion of the murder of WPc Sharon Beshenivsky.
ANPR is believed to have helped trace a large silver car which had been used as a getaway vehicle.
;D 
www.peterboroughnow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&ArticleID=1262509
TEN people were arrested today during a crackdown on illegal workers and benefit cheats.
Dozens of cars, minibuses and a coach travelling along the A15 from Peterborough towards factories in Lincolnshire were pulled over by a team of more than 20 police officers, between 5am and 9am today.
One man was arrested on suspicion of driving while disqualified, and nine others were arrested in connection with immigration offences, including working without a permit and using a false identity
The spot checks marked the start of Operation Dreadnought, launched by Cambridgeshire police in conjunction with the Home Office, Department for Work and Pensions, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and Peterborough City Council.
Inspector Mark Rogers, who is leading the operation, said the vehicle occupants were questioned to check their immigration status, that they had permission to work and that they were not working and claiming benefits.
He said: "We know that a large number of people travel from Peterborough to Lincolnshire each morning, and we suspect that some may be working illegally.
"The operation has been launched to find out exactly how many are breaking the law, and to stop them doing it.
"It may be that the majority of workers are doing nothing wrong, but it is important we catch those who choose to ignore the law."
The vehicles stopped were also checked to ensure they were roadworthy, taxed and insured.
An automatic numberplate recognition (ANPR) system was used by officers to help identify suspicious vehicles.
Two cars were taken away by the city council and impounded because they were untaxed.
The owners will now have to pay an £80 fine, buy a tax disc and produce registration documents to get them back. (we need a real deterent,any crime against the state should mea immediate deportation)
A large queue of vehicles built up in a side road off the A15, as those who had been pulled over waited to be questioned in a mobile police station.
Immigration officials used hi-tech scanners to check fingerprints as part of the identification process.
Ricardo Pimentel (45), from Westwood, Peterborough, was stopped as he drove to work at the Bourne Salads factory in Spalding Road.( another one on the hickman "banned"list)
Mr Pimentel, who is originally from Brazil, has Portuguese nationality and is entitled to work legally in the UK.
He said: "My colleagues and I got stopped because we look foreign and have foreign accents.
"I am annoyed that I am going to be late for work, but I can understand why the police do this sort of thing."
Numberplate tracing system a success
AUTOMATIC numberplate recognition (ANPR) systems have been used by Cambridgeshire police for the past three years.
Special cameras record the numberplates of passing vehicles and check them against a national database.
The technology was used last week by detectives in Bradford, who arrested five Somalis on suspicion of the murder of WPc Sharon Beshenivsky.
ANPR is believed to have helped trace a large silver car which had been used as a getaway vehicle.
;D 
www.peterboroughnow.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=845&ArticleID=1262509