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URTU co-operating fully with police following arrests

23rd February 2012
Page 7
Page 7, 23rd February 2012 — URTU co-operating fully with police following arrests
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By Christopher Walton THE UNITED Road Transport Union (URTU) says it is “co-operating fully” with the authorities after seven of its members were arrested and subsequently released on bail until May without charge, last week.

The operation, conducted by Greater Manchester Police’s Volume Fraud unit in conjunction with the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), saw a series of co-ordinated arrests as part of an investigation into alleged fraud offences relating to LGV and Driver CPC training.

The seven union members were arrested and released on bail as part of the DSA’s investigation into “a Driver CPC course delivered in September 2011”.

Furthermore, URTU says it understands that the DSA “continues to investigate the activities of proit-making training companies” regarding Driver CPC training.

The DSA was unavailable for comment. Among those arrested on 15 February were URTU general secretary Bob Monks, national oficer Mel Thornton, regional oficer Lee Pimbley and regional oficer Mike Billingham.

The arrests were made by oficers from Greater Manchester Police, as well as oficers from Merseyside, South Yorkshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire forces, on suspicion of fraud by false representation.

Before his arrest, Monks told CM last week (16 February) that URTU had problems on a course held in Bristol on 4 September with what he claims was a disruptive segment of non-URTU drivers that saw the course inish ahead of the seven hours required. It was subsequently struck off by the DSA as a provider.

A union spokesman told CM that the arrests followed the DSA’s conirmation that URTU was able to seek re-approval at any time for its Driver CPC training course, ‘Health and Safety Law at Work’.


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