POLICE in South Bucks have co-ordinated a high visibility operation to identify vehicles used by travelling criminals.

A team of officers, in association with the DVLA, set up a checkpoint with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) equipment on Monday, July 18, on the A355 between Beaconsfield and Farnham Common.

The team checked number plates on vehicles travelling past and any vehicles flagged up as being on the national "wanted" list were identified.

Officers stationed nearby were on hand to escort the vehicle to a checkpoint outside the Beaconsfield SYCOB football ground where the occupants could be questioned.

The operation, which ran between 4pm and 8pm, was not just to catch untaxed vehicles, but also offered officers the opportunity to check for unlicensed cars, spot stolen vehicles and those involved in various crimes.

Insp Mike Webber-Gant, sector Inspector for Burnham and Beaconsfield, co-ordinated the operation.

He said: "We had a good result from this operation, which saw us stop several dozen vehicles. A number of those were clamped for having no tax and around a dozen people paid the fines in order to have their vehicles released.

"This is the latest operation in a scheme run periodically on arterial routes across the district, and is useful not just for monitoring offences, but also acts as a high visibility deterrent making it clear to travelling criminals that local police are prepared to take strong action against them."