Car Cruising

Tackling Car Cruising Activity

Background

Vehicular related ASB is more commonly referred to as 'Car Cruising / Joy riding.' This type of activity includes vehicles being driven dangerously at high speeds to earn respect within the 'cruising industry.' In addition, drivers will also compete in performance activities, which often includes drag racing, donuts (rotating a set of the vehicles wheels around in a circle motion), speed trials and various other illegal stunts. From gathering public views, concerns raised regarding this type of activity relate to anti-social noise, road traffic offences and access and egress to local businesses.

Research by Essex Police have indicated that Cruisers and those attending to spectate can be broadly placed into three groups:

1) Offenders:

This category acknowledges those who are willing to drive in a reckless and dangerous manner, including racing on public roads, drifting, donuts, and wheel spinning. This group wants attention and will not usually be effectively tackled through engagement alone. A visible Police presence is likely to delay their antics, whereby they will either move on or simply return at a later time. This group needs to be dealt with robustly and targeted at every opportunity. Including roadside stops and enforcement. A percentage of this rebellious group see not abiding by the law as a thrill and will constantly challenge Police tactics.

2) Individuals who are mostly harmless:

These people often park up and socialise with each other, admire the vehicles, and typically will not cause any significant disruption other than low level noise and possibly littering. These people will mostly cooperate with the Police but be resistant and defensive if requested to move when they are not causing problems. Ultimately, other than their presence (which in turn can provide the audience for those in the group above to show off to) they do not commonly cause any real issues due to not wanting to risk their vehicles / license or wallet. Essex recommend that these people are not targeted for enforcement but are engaged with showing that Police are being reasonable, keeping them onside and in doing so may be able to assist or support in the future.

3) Undecided, open to temptation

These individuals are individuals that can be easily influenced between the two above groups – ordinarily they would be in the 'no issues' group however they can be persuaded to take part in poor driving and other ASB (especially where there is no Police presence), either through peer pressure or temptation of watching others act, seemingly freely and without any consequences. In the same way they can also be influenced to behave by the presence of police and/or knowledge of police action.

It has always therefore been important for Leicestershire Police to have an open mind and deal with the subject matter proportionately. Targeting those causing the most harm.

The Local Problem

The issues arising from car cruises have been an issue within NWL for a number of years now. The number of reports during 2022 and the first half of 2023 remained low, however from October 2023 the number of reports began to increase. The reports focused on the area around Kegworth and Castle Donington.

Despite efforts made to control the issue, by April 2024, we were seeing significant cruise activity, the impact of this has been noise related ASB, road safety concerns and access issues. The problem is occurring on a weekly basis, typically at the weekend during the unsocial hours of 2100-0000hrs.

Local Response

Police

To better understand the nature and size of the issue the police promoted reporting options to members of the public (via social media, beat surgeries and Neighbourhood Link) and began to create a sentinel every time a person reported cruising. Since the start of 2024, approximately 62 sentinel reports have been created which equates to 3 reports per weekend since the start of the year.

Identifying intelligence is one of the biggest challenges. All meetings are arranged in private groups, often using Telegram and WhatsApp to create the invitation. Whilst the police are aware that it is a weekly occurrence the exact time and location changes on a regular basis. This challenge can result in the police being too late to respond, or not being aware that they are within the vicinity at all. (Unless dedicated teams are on at the time).

Dedicated neighbourhood officers were deployed over a variety of weekends, especially where planned events were identified. The crews (staffing dependent) often consisted of 1 double crewed, marked vehicle and 1 unmarked vehicle. These crews would strategically position themselves in hotspot locations to act as both a visible presence and to identify any offending vehicles.

With hotspot policing, the areas identified by the public are targeted by officers to deter and disrupt the behaviour of those committing offences. This enforcement produced positive results leading to vehicles being seized, S59 tickets issued (A warning for ASB to both the driver and the vehicle, with the power to seize the vehicle if the driver or vehicle is driven in the same or similar manner). Various traffic offence reports and an array of warning letters / advice letters have been issued.

Whilst this activity has been useful to deter and reduce the velocity of calls, having dedicated patrols each weekend is not sustainable, particularly in today's climate where the demand on the Police is ever growing.

Due to this, other tactics were additionally utilised including the use of specialist departments such as Roads Policing Unit and Drone teams. Furthermore, Police also ring-fenced the area targeted by GPS which subsequently increases a visible Police footprint within the area due to the requirement for compliance checks by Police staff.

Unfortunately, as car cruising is a national issue, the velocity of vehicles involved in this type of behaviour is high. Whilst positive enforcement action is being taken, the vehicles involved are often different. This causes issues as most offenders are different on each occasion, supporting the hypothesis that this issue is large in scale and unlikely to be resolved without partner agency support.

Work has also been conducted to improve intelligence gathering. The groups involved such as Forza Leicester, Forza Derby, Midland Madness etc… all use similar private platforms such as WhatsApp, Snapchat, and Telegram. It is typically invite only to enter these groups or a request can be made whereby a set of questions has to be answered. Police powers restrict the infiltration of these groups, which remains an issue.

Despite this, internal work across the district has been conducted to ensure that key information is not being missed. A shared Teams platform is now active which allows you to input data regarding offending vehicles/ drivers. This will then show evidence of previous incidents / Police contact which may lead to the rationale of the officer being changed.

Locally, we have also created Operation Headlamp, which is Coalville's response to car cruising. This Operational Order has various tactical options and contingencies should a cruise occur. Teams are advised to seek advice from this order prior to deploying resources to ensure that the best evidence is collated. This operational handbook is being prepared to suit the whole of Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland.

NWLDC

North West Leicestershire District Council have collaborated tirelessly with the Police to ensure that action is being taken and different problem-solving techniques are tested. In June 2021, the council successfully implemented a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) on specific roads within Castle Donington.

A PSPO is an order under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014. The order, created by the council, bans specific acts in designated geographical locations within England and Wales as set out within the act. Within Castle Donington, the PSPO covers various roads and prohibits specific acts which relate and often cause annoyance to members of the public. Examples of the prohibitions are listed below:

- Excessive noise of any kind.

- Driving in convoy.

- Danger to other road users and pedestrians.

- Damage or risk of damage to any property.

- Racing other motor vehicles.

- Performing stunts in motor vehicles.

When the PSPO was first introduced it was successful, with many warning letters issued resulting in a decline in calls and reports regarding car cruising. Unfortunately, this activity has increased since the development of the relief road. The roads construction has led to car enthusiasts broadcasting it as a suitable location for drag racing, speed trials and various other ASB. Due to this, the council has made fantastic progress on implementing a replacement PSPO.

A public consultation on the proposal to introduce a new PSPO has recently closed generating 78 responses.

• 70 (90%) responders either live or work in Castle Donington
• 66 (85%) responders have experienced problems with ASB relating to car cruising in the CD area in the last 12 months.
• 70 (90%) responders described car cruising as either a big or very big problem
• 71 (91%) responders said that they would support a PSPO to ban the anti-social use of vehicles in Castle Donington.

The area that the PSPO covers has also been evaluated and the intention will be to expand the coverage from some of Castle Donington to all.

NWLDC has installed two ANPR cameras in hotspot locations. These cameras have been effective to gather evidence of cruising and to issue FPNS and advice/ warning letters.

NWLDC have also dedicated time to creating a new ASB reporting platform with the intention of making reporting cruising easier. This comes with signage and regular social media updates which will be introduced in due course.

Finally, NWLDC have also funded a billboard van within the area covered by the PSPO (currently situated on Arundel Avenue) this van acts as a further warning by displaying the PSPO map and prohibitions.

Arterial Routes

Unfortunately, the law does not allow the implementation of a PSPO on an arterial route such as the A453. Due to this, the police have worked with other forces (West Midlands / Essex / Derbyshire) and have established that another effective measure to reduce this activity is to apply for a civil injunction. A civil injunction would contain similar restrictions but would also come with the power of arrest. From research, a large amount of evidence is required when applying for a civil injunction. Each report is to be recorded and every action detailed prior to reaching the point of application. Work is being carried out to explore the feasibility of an injunction being used on the main arterial routes.

Leicestershire Fire & Rescue

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue services station commander for North West Leicestershire and their Road safety crew manager have also been heavily involved in the joint action group, suggesting ways that they can offer educational support and other tactical options when the cruise occurs. Specifically, they have 24/7 access to a personalised van that is utilised to educate drivers on the dangers that they pose on the roads when they behave in a certain manner. They utilise VR goggles to make the driver feel like they are experiencing the viewpoint from a position of disadvantage. Used to show the effects that their behaviour can have.

Colleagues from the fire department are also exploring options around the safety of the airport. (Vehicles regularly sitting near emergency gates). They have taken this priority due to relations that they have with the airport and the onsite fire teams. The airport are aware of the issue.

Highways

We are in contact with colleagues within the highways department who are prepared to support and assist with any future operations and can provide tactical/ practical advice around the impact that they have on road usage.

Driving Standards Agency

Contact with the DVSA has been made to organise operations dedicated to tackling the construction of offending vehicles and hopefully taking some of the vehicles off the road. Whilst a date has not been arranged, they are supportive and would be prepared to assist.

Collaboration

In April 2024, the community safety partnership introduced road safety as a priority. This will ensure that a structured approach and review is taken throughout the year with leadership roles taking an oversight of the matter. This change also introduces the potential for additional funding. The funding streams are being used currently for further training for officers, signage/ posters, and various other educational material to reduce the likelihood of offending.

To ensure that all tactical options are being considered and all reasonable / proportionate steps to reduce and prevent this activity from occurring are made, a formal working group has been set up under the structure of the community safety partnership. This involved 3 main agencies – The Police, NWLDC and the fire service. The group meets typically once every six weeks and will share information, evidence, and intelligence to ensure positive steps are being made. As part of the working group, tasks have been allocated to ensure partnership working is high on the agenda.

Officers have dedicated time consulting with other police forces, researching what they believe is best practice and most effective. West Midlands (Operation Hercules), Thames Valley, Merseyside, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and various other forces appear to agree that the most effective way to reduce this activity is to implement PSPO's and civil injunctions on any main arterial route. A joined-up approach is required internally including the utilisation of an operational order and dedicated local officers, who have the knowledge and experience to deal with this issue. Social media also has a huge responsibility toward educating drivers and learning about the risks that come with this type of behaviour.

Furthermore, the problem management team has also been used to consult with similar teams within other forces to gather information and intelligence to continually improve Leicestershire's approach to the issue.

Contact is also regularly made with colleagues from neighbouring forces to ensure that information sharing continues, intelligence is regularly submitted and to ensure that offenders are brought to justice. Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire both share the same Police systems and therefore all three forces can share data easily without issue.