Met operation proscribes offence of ‘anti-social driving’, among all the ‘doughnuts’ and drag races staged near Ikea in Valley Retail Park
Yellow peril: one of the vehicles seized by the Metropolitan Police in a clampdown on the Thursday night ‘cruise’ staged in and around Valley Retail Park
The Metropolitan Police claim that they impounded 21 vehicles in a single night in Croydon on Thursday, in the latest clampdown against the regular high-speed “cruises” staged around Valley Park, tackling what they called “anti-social driving” and “numerous” road traffic offences.
Inside Croydon has previously reported on large-scale police operations conducted against the organised weekly gathering of hundreds of spectators and souped-up vehicles, which have featured fireworks and loud sound systems on the retail park’s roads and in car parks alongside Ikea.
Booked: the police ‘processed’ numerous ‘anti-social driving’ cases
The gatherings have been happening at sites along the A23 in Croydon for around 20 years, with the motorised parades sometimes seeing vehicles involved in drag racing on suburban streets – in some cases leading to fatalities.
In a tweet, police from Broad Green said that more than 60 officers had taken part in the operation, which they had been working on for two months.
“Over 200 Section 59 Police Reform Act 2002 warnings have been issued since July 2021 in this area,” the police tweeted this morning.
“The S59 warnings are issued if you are driving without due care and attention or under S34 Road Traffic Act and you are causing or likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance. If you commit a similar offence within 12 months your vehicle can be seized under this legislation.
“The team ran an operation supported by [the Met’s road and transport command and the Special Constabulary] and other units at Valley Park, Croydon, to tackle anti-social vehicle driving and racing.
“We seized 21 vehicles last night and processed numerous drivers for road traffic offences.”
On the record: the original Broad Green police tweet
The police say that a further 16 S59 warning have been given out and four people have been reported to the Magistrates Court for not being properly insured.
The police tweets continued: “A significant amount of police work has gone into the success of this operation and we are hopeful that this will send a clear message to key individuals that this dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated.
“We’re aware this ASB has had a huge impact on our local community.”
And there was a barely veiled warning of continuing action against the cruisers: “This behaviour won’t be tolerated,” the police tweeted.
“And we will be taking similar action should the activities continue.”
Read more: ‘Hostile’ crowd threw missiles at police in cruise clampdown
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Can the police crush these cars? That would be a good deterrent.
They should be sold if of value BUT only on condition that little boys’ exhausts, backfire chips and any other silly toys are removed.
They need to check the validity of the insurance as some may be invalid due to modifications. Another fine!
Great news. We’ll done Met.
These people are scum. It is time the police finally took action.
I think calling them “scum” is going too far. They’re not dealing drugs or out stabbing people to death, they just have a misunderstood passion.
A lot of these are teens that have put a lot of time and hard earned money in to this passion when as I said a lot worse they could be doing so what is the answer where are they meant to meet the police have stopped it for the short term but there really needs to be a long-term answer so it’s fair on everyone
It wouldn’t take much to reopen the Crystal Palace Racetrack. But then again, it wouldn’t be as much fun if it were legal…..
Calling them “scum” isn’t going far enough. They are criminals who repeatedly ignore and break the law, disturb the peace, put lives at risk and attack the police. “To be fair”, the best place for them to meet is in court, then in prison or on community service. But seeing how you don’t mind their “passion”, perhaps you would be so kind as to share your address so that they can make a nuisance of themselves in your neighbourhood instead of around mine and everyone else who’s had enough of them.
Of late these meets have been happening every night to some degree!
But Thursdays see the area swarming with drivers and spectators from as far afield as Brighton, Sevenoaks and even Essex. It’s not just the noise and exhaust fumes but the dangerous driving and yes there are drugs which can be clearly smelt.
About 3 or 4 weeks ago they almost hit a 7 yrs old which prompted a police response. All residents are affected having to take their own life into their own hands if crossing the road if we want to go out.
Just over a week ago a bike went into a car which was seen on the TikTok live feeds of the car meet we informed the police but did not see them or an ambulance .
It’s difficult for the police because of the vast numbers which could and do turn up to these meets meaning the police have to plan a response because it takes far more police than are actually on duty during the night to break up these meets. yes, they send a couple of cars, launch the helicopter, but they just get laughed at: 2 cars against a couple of hundred lairy drivers are no match.
No doubt this is having a detrimental effect on the businesses in the area due to employees and customers having to deal with these drivers.
but its the residents who are the ones most effected there are a high number of persons young and old with medical conditions and disability on the housing estate who are impacted by the loud noise these cars produce.
The law needs to be changed to give the police the power to break up these meets [and others across the country] which give them the right to fine each and every person who are at these meets on unapproved locations and greater power to impound and scrap the cars repeatedly involved.
To be fair the police can shut these down pretty quickly when they want to, you see it on YouTube videos all the time. These meets have been going on since I was a teenager, if the police really wanted to stop it they would’ve done so a long time ago and made it too much of a hassle for any of these idiots, but they only turn up once in a whole so those involved don’t perceive it as a risk.