Operation Darwen: keeping our roads safe

Operation Darwen continued over the weekend with officers all over the force patrolling the main arterial routes and main collision hotspots and holiday destinations.

The wet weather on Saturday and Sunday meant little or no motorcycle activity or any other vehicle related calls. Bank Holiday Monday was a fine and dry day with a high activity of motorcyclist and general holiday traffic across the force.

Each roads police team were given specific patrol areas which included Tenby, A40 into Pembrokeshire; the Preseli Mountains; in and around New Qua; the A44 into Aberystwyth; the A40 Llandovery to Brecon; the A40 Brecon to Crickhowell; the A483 Black Mountain and the A438 Brecon to Hay and the A470 Storey Arms to Brecon.

Officers were supported by specific targeted patrol by the dog section and the armed response team to provide a focused highly visible police presence at these main locations.

Engagement took place with the motorcycling community at the West End and Owls Nest cafés in Carmarthenshire and the ‘RAC bends’ on the A470 near Brecon where bike riders were made aware of the recent spike in motorcycle casualties in Mid and West Wales.

There were no serious collisions and no minor ones involving motorcycles, with no other reported calls of antisocial use of motorcycles or other form of transport either.

Over the weekend enforcement activity included:-

• nine arrests for drink driving.
• three Traffic offence reports for bikes, 21 for cars.
• two Fixed penalty notices for bikes, 22 for cars.
• one bike RTC, five car RTC’s.
• seven cannabis warnings, one reported for summons for possession of cannabis, one person cautioned for possession of MDMA.

Chief Inspector Rose-Ann Lloyd said: “It is very pleasing to note that there were no serious or minor collisions involving motorcycles, or reports of antisocial motorcycling or driving over this bank holiday. Our officers see far too many tragedies, many preventable, and the safety of our roads and the reduction in the number of casualties is a priority for us. Operation Darwen is part of a continuing programme to improve road safety for all in Dyfed-Powys, by engaging, educating and enforcing where necessary.”