'White van man' targeted in check • South Yorkshire police
23rd April 1998, Page 6
23rd April 1998
Page 6
Page 6, 23rd April 1998
— 'White van man' targeted in check • South Yorkshire police
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checked 1,098 vans and found nearly 1,000 offences in a month-long campaign prompted by a TV show.
"White van man" became a phrase synonymous with dangerous driving following ITV's Police Camera Action series. CM was immediately flooded with letters from readers criticising the show's biased portrayal ofvan drivers.
But the police figures seem to justify this reputation, with seven arrests, 16 prohibitions, 53 summonses, 231 fixed penalties, 208 vehicle defect rectification orders and 441 informal warnings. It also caught 11 benefit cheats.
Inspector Alex Hughes of Sheffield traffic police says: "These vans are incurring a poor reputation."