 | "I find no problem at all with it - it's the most important thing to have your insurance." Motorist | Car being crushed by police crusher. |
Uninsured cars Four thousand vehicles have been crushed, pulverised, squashed, pressed and cubed by police on Merseyside... and more are to follow. It's all part of Operation Tango - a clampdown on uninsured drivers. In the words of Merseyside Police, they're declaring "total war" on anti-social and criminal motorists. So could you find your car in the crusher? Inside Out investigates how the police are cracking down on crime. Read your comments on this story below.
Chasing insurance dodgersThe police force is using the same technology employed against terrorists and organised crime against insurance dodgers. Cameras mounted in vans and patrol cars are being used to read registration plates on vehicles and compare them to information provided by insurance companies.  | | Seized cars waiting for collection or crushing |
Eleven thousand vehicles have been seized by officers in the last year - but it's estimated there are still over 100,000 uninsured drivers in Merseyside.
If you can't prove that you possess insurance, police will simply seize the car - giving drivers just a couple of minutes to clear out their possessions - and find their own way home.
The seized cars are taken away and the owners have two weeks to get them back. On reclaiming the car, the motorist has to prove that he/she is the owner, and has to show proof of valid insurance and a driving licence.
But, even then they have to pay a £105 fine and an extra £12 for every day the car has been stored by the police. Police clampdown
Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe from Merseyside Police describes the scale of the operation: "Today we've got 40 out of our 50 vehicles out on the road, right across Merseyside.  | | Merseyside Police - clamping down on criminals |
"In coming weeks we're going to deploy them in larger groups in just perhaps Southport or perhaps the north of Liverpool, so we tie a whole area down."
Since Tango was launched, it's estimated that 20,000 drivers on Merseyside have taken out new insurance - but anyone without it faces a £200 fine and points on their licence. The scheme is winning friends - even amongst innocent drivers who are stopped, as one driver explains:
"I find no problem at all with it - it's the most important thing to have your insurance... it's peace of mind.
"It didn't bother me [being pulled in], you know, I've got nothing to hide at all." Preventing accidents Supporters of the scheme say that drivers shouldn't be driving without insurance anyway - and Operation Tango is a good thing because it gets them off the roads. Eighteen-year-old Elunded Cleverley from Wallasey was walking home in summer 2006 when an uninsured driver hit her from behind - she died instantly.
The driver - Lucasz Sonta, a Polish carpenter, was almost two and a half times over the legal drink-drive limit, and was out to buy more alcohol. He was jailed for six years.
Edward Cleverley, the victim's father, describes the pain of losing his daughter: "Losing Elunded is the most horrible thing that can happen to any family. My feelings are that it's destroyed us as a family."
Elunded's mother Ann Cleverley shares the same loss:
 | | Elunded - tragic loss of life due to an uninsured, drink driver |
"It's a huge loss for anybody to lose their daughter - obviously - but it has just left an enormous hole in our lives."
Elunded's parents faced a struggle to pay for her funeral as Sonta had no motor cover - and therefore no insurance company to seek compensation from. Edward Cleverley says, "I think the point is is that if somebody is prepared to drive a car without insurance, you have to beg the question what else are they prepared to do? "You take the example of the driver that killed our daughter - he was driving drunk - at least 2.5 times over the limit, and driving very very fast in a 30 mile an hour limit with desperately tragic circumstances... "And you feel so cheated because there is no insurance. The effects are horrendous and it goes on and on. "And I think what Merseyside Police are doing in confiscating the vehicles of uninsured drivers is a very good, severe, harsh lesson."
Taking action
Dave Sedley and Simon Cook are two members of the specialist Tango unit which patrols Merseyside every day.
They say that Operation Tango is already having a big impact - and it's had a knock on effect with a reduction in traffic collisions, accidents, and drive-offs from petrol stations.
 | | Surprise in store - a crushed car following seizure |
But it's not just old rust-buckets and bangers that the police are being seized. Even expensive cars like BMW's are among the cars which are being pulled in for not having insurance. If the cars aren't claimed, they could be sent for auction.
The money raised through auctions eventually reaches the Merseyside Police Authority which use it to fight more crime.
And if drivers decide they won't bother collecting the car because they face prosecution for having no insurance, the police have one last surprise in store - a crushing machine! Have your sayWhat do you think about Operation Tango and the police's measures to target uninsured drivers? Email your comments and views on uninsured cars to insideout@bbc.co.uk
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Inside Out - North West: Friday March 2, 2007