POLICE are warning car cruisers will be prosecuted after banning orders were served across the West Midlands.
West Midlands Police said today: “We’re aware of a number of car cruising meetings planned in Birmingham and the wider West Midlands over the coming days.
“We’re reminding anyone who is considering attending to take part, or spectate, of the dangers of this illegal activity and that they all face prosecution.
“Car cruising has been an issue across Birmingham and the wider West Midlands for a long time, with meet ups often attracting hundreds of cars and spectators.
“We’re doing all we can to crackdown on this activity and are warning people that we’ll be on the lookout for street racers and anti-social car gatherings under Operation Hercules which uses traffic resources on our key arterial routes across the West Midlands, where we have a number of injunctions in place.
“The High Court order bans people from taking part in car cruising, including speeding, racing and driving in convoy, performing stunts and causing an obstruction on a public highway across Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.
“The dangerous driving and excessive noise from car cruising always results in a number of calls to police and we are continuing to develop a number of plans to prosecute offenders.”
Chief Superintendent Ian Green, lead for Operation Hercules, said: “There is a huge amount of work going on to tackle this issue as we know many people are concerned about anti-social and dangerous activity.
“We carry out regular operations across the force in response to concerns raised by communities. These are also now supported by police drone pilots who gather information on offenders.
“It’s all part of our ongoing commitment to listen to what our communities are telling us they are concerned about and taking action against offenders. Operations like this should act as a stark warning to any motorist who thinks they can drive dangerously or anti-socially on our roads. We won’t tolerate this behaviour, especially during the current pandemic. We’re determined to bring offenders to justice and keep our roads safe.”
