Police in Exmouth urge the public to report risky driving via Operation Snap

Vigilant residents and visitors to the Exmouth area of East Devon are being asked to report incidents of bad driving and risk taking by motorists who put themselves and others in danger.

As part of Operation Snap, members of the public can report and submit digital footage online which show potential moving traffic offences.

There are a broad range of offences that police can review including dangerous driving, driving whilst using a mobile phone, driving without due care and attention, careless driving, overtaking on solid white lines, not in proper control of the vehicle, traffic light contravention or any other road traffic offence that is clearly shown in the footage. Operation Snap is not for reporting a road traffic collision, you should do this by calling 101 or visiting the Devon & Cornwall Police website Home | Devon & Cornwall Police (devon-cornwall.police.uk)

Exmouth Sector Inspector Grant Leitch explained: “Exmouth and the roads around it are very busy with lots of vehicles. Drivers are not always as patient as they should be and some dangerous drivers may be tempted to drive too fast or attempt risky manoeuvres to try and get somewhere a bit quicker. We also have those people behind the wheel who cause a nuisance late at night for residents by revving their engines; this is particularly noticeable on the Esplanade along the seafront.

“Most motorists in the town are law-abiding and we are grateful for the public’s help to catch the anti-social minority who cause problems and misery for others. Please submit footage to help Operation Snap so we can investigate these incidents. Here in Exmouth we have hard working local police teams who look out for offenders and we can also count on the extra support of the Force Roads Policing Team who are experts in their field. We will also carry out covert roads operations where necessary.”    

The Devon & Cornwall Police No Excuses traffic team visited Exmouth recently and during five dates in July they issued nine tickets to motorists for various traffic offences. 

More than 6,000 videos were submitted to Devon & Cornwall Police via Op Snap throughout 2023, making it the busiest year in its history. Op Snap was set up in the region in 2019 and allows footage to be submitted from various sources, whether it’s a dashcam, helmet camera, mobile phone or even a video doorbell. Since 2019 the Force has taken action against almost 10,000 motorists.

To submit footage please visit Operation Snap | Devon & Cornwall Police (devon-cornwall.police.uk)

Anyone who submits footage to Operation Snap must be able to provide the registration number of the offending vehicle and should be prepared to sign a witness statement; there is a possibility that they may need to give evidence in court. Please note police can only accept a statement for Operation Snap from people aged 18 or over. 

General parking complaints should be reported to the relevant local authority and the public are asked not to report window or number plate offences such as tinted glass or smoked plates as police are unable to verify the offences from footage alone. Any material submitted will be reviewed by the Devon & Cornwall Police Road Safety Team to see if the footage is of a good enough quality and if an offence is clearly shown. If the clip meets the criteria, then police will consider issuing an advisory letter to the owner of the offending vehicle, inviting them to an educational course, issuing a fixed penalty notice or, where appropriate, seeking a prosecution. 

All submissions are dealt with pro-actively to help reduce risk-taking and poor driving on our region's roads. Any footage submitted through the Op Snap portal can be used by police to help educate other road users and to advise on case results.

As a rule, police will not be able to notify every person who has submitted video or images to update them due to the high number of submissions that we receive. Op Snap is part of Vision Zero South West which aims to cut road traffic deaths to zero. For more information about Vision Zero please visit Vision Zero - A collaborative road safety community project (visionzerosouthwest.co.uk)