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Forged-permit racket uncovered by DoE

29th October 1971
Page 16
Page 16, 29th October 1971 — Forged-permit racket uncovered by DoE
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Prosecutions soon against owners and drivers

• As a result of a special eight-day check on the documents of goods vehicles leaving Dover for the Continent, the Department of the Environment will shortly be taking out summonses against five haulage operators for uttering forged permits — representing them to be genuine international freight permits. Criminal proceedings will also be taken against the drivers involved.

Before the DoE men moved in, there had been stories of all kinds of illegal practices in connection with much-sought-after permits, especially for France, Italy and Germany whose quotas do not meet the demand; it was said that genuine permits were changing hands at £30 a time, for example. There were also rumours of forgeries.

A month ago DoE examiners moved in to Dover and Newhaven and for eight days checked the documents of all outgoing freight vehicles. Some 269 were checked in all; some did not require permits (eg for countries like Holland and Belgium with no permit system) but drivers of five vehicles were found to be in possession of forged French transit permits.

The forged permits were confiscated — but two of the vehicles nevertheless sailed as planned. All the forgeries were discovered at Dover, none at Newhaven. The permits are such good forgeries — differing from the genuine mainly in small characteristics of printing type and the style of the Newcastle upon Tyne traffic office's purple issuing stamp — that the authorities are acting on the assumption that the forging has been done on a considerable scale.

On discovering the Dover forgeries, it is understood, the DoE informed the French authorities — on whose behalf the permits are issued in Britain — and it is reported that on Monday October 18 at Dunkirk a further nine British haulage vehicles were found to have forged French permits. The permits were seized by the French officials, and it is understood that the vehicles were impounded.

Inquiries in Britain led to a swoop last Friday on premises in the London area by DoE enforcement officers and police flying squad men, with some success. Among documents found were genuine permits that had been issued earlier to British operators. When further inquiries have been made, criminal proceedings are likely to follow, but it is understood that charges of forgery are not contemplated at this stage.

The French authorities (who always check the documents of every vehicle in ally ease) have now been supplied with samples of documents and signatures and are believed to be making a particularly close scrutiny of all permits.

Checks at other British ports are likely to follow, and the German transport and border authorities have been warned to look out for forgeries, though no forged German permits have so far been discovered.

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Locations: London

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