A week-long pan-European truck safety operation by TISPOL led to the discovery of nearly 1,200 illegal immigration and human trafficking offences.

The action involved checks on nearly 140,000 trucks across 27 countries between 21 and 27 July 2014.

Co-ordinated by the European Traffic Police Network, the operation saw police carrying out a wide range of safety inspections that focused on speeding, alcohol, drugs, seatbelt use, tachograph infringements, excess weight, dangerous loading and document offences.

A total of 44,859 offences were detected, including the following:

• 421 drivers for alcohol and drug offences
• 5,054 offences of exceeding the speed limit
• 5,074 instances of drivers exceeding their maximum permitted time at the wheel
• 939 overweight trucks and 981 insecure loads.
• 3,828 immediate prohibitions on trucks, most because of vehicle technical defects

Stopping truck drivers to conduct safety checks offences also provided police officers with the opportunity to make other appropriate security enquiries. For example, officers also detected and dealt with offences connected with irregular immigration and human trafficking (1153), wanted persons (54), possession of drugs (22), firearms (10), stolen goods (9) and other crimes (506).

Of the 1181 immigration and human trafficking offences, 1153 were recorded by police officers in Greece, who also recorded 26 out of the 54 wanted person detections.

The current TISPOL operation from 8th – 14th September 2014 is to check for seatbelt wearing throughout Europe.

Vehicle occupants who do not wear their seatbelt will be issued with a penalty. The action is part of a Europe-wide operation co-ordinated by TISPOL, the European Traffic Police Network, which takes place throughout this week.

More info: www.tispol.org