Five roads policing officers from the Romanian Police Service joined forces with South Wales Police traffic officers this week to learn how to implement road safety the Welsh way.
As part of a TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) exchange programme, the officers joined our ranks to participate in a commercial vehicle operation, an ANPR exercise and other road safety initiatives to learn valuable information they can implement in Romanian policing on their return home.
A multi-agency vehicle examination exercise at the Junction 47 services saw South Wales Police officers and the Romanian visitors working with colleagues from VOSA (Vehicle & Operator Services Agency) and HM Customs & Excise to conduct safety and documentation checks on lorries travelling the M4.
In total, 18 large goods vehicles were stopped. 14 of the 18 were found to have mechanical defects and offences relating to work hours were also detected.
6 vehicles were found to have defective brakes and 6 were found to have defective tyres. As a result the drivers were issued with prohibition notices preventing them from getting back on the road.
Altogether £580 of fixed penalty notices were issued for the above offences.
An additional ANPR operation near the Liberty Stadium also saw officers from the unit seize 5 vehicles for having no insurance.
Inspector Davies said: “A number of the vehicles we have checked today have been foreign lorries which travel far and wide conducting their daily business, and by doing the necessary safety checks, we can prevent accidents occurring not just here but across borders.
“The consequences of defective brakes, tyres and the impact of driver fatigue from driving too long could certainly be fatal.
“The exchange programme with TIPSOL puts us in a good position to share best practise with our European colleagues on the different ways we initiate road safety so we can improve policing on an international scale.”
This is the first time South Wales Police have hosted Romanian officers, who are the heads of the roads policing departments in their respective areas across Romania.
Talking of the visit, Sub-Inspector Tomas Ioan said: “We’re hoping this visit will help us to familiarise ourselves with the processes used by UK officers to make the roads safer for motorists.
“The TISPOL exchange programme is a great initiative, and we’re grateful to South Wales Police for taking the time to demonstrate their work to us.”
