North Wales Police crack down on uninsured driving with Operation Scalis.

The police force is the first in Wales to join the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) initiative.

The collaboration allows the Force to dedicate officers to areas with high levels of uninsured driving using collision claims data.

These dedicated enforcement days, funded by MIB, will use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), aiming to surpass the Force's average of 82 vehicle seizures a month.

However Operation Scalis doesn’t just crack down on uninsured driving - the Force also seizes vehicles due to associated criminal activity.

On the first day of action, this included a newly licensed driver who had cancelled insurance due to non-compliance with telematics (black boxes), a disqualified driver with invalid insurance, and a recovery truck driver who was using a personal motor trade policy.

The Force also uses tools including Navigate, the central record of active motor insurance policies, and police intelligence combined with predictive analytics to track known offenders.

Driving without insurance can mean:

  • A £300 fixed penalty fine
  • Six penalty points, which can lead to automatic disqualification for new drivers
  • Vehicle seizure and potential destruction
  • Unlimited fines and driving bans via court referral
  • £1,000 average increase in future insurance premiums

Sergeant Alun Jones of the North Wales Roads Crime Unit said: "Reducing the number of people killed or injured on our roads remains our priority, and removing uninsured drivers helps to do just that.

"Uninsured drivers are significantly more likely to cause death or injury on the road and are often involved in wider road crime.

“We witness far too often the devastation a road collision has on families and the wider community.

“When this involves an uninsured driver, there is also the financial cost associated with it.

"We are urging all drivers to respect other road users and drive insured.”