Drivers put on notice as crackdown continues

Drivers in the Pilbara have been put on notice over the past two weeks as police have been running an operation encompassing every road-user infringement under the sun from drug trafficking to unlicensed drivers.

Operation Silver Edition has utilised officers from every Pilbara sub-district, a drug dog, Main Roads WA, and State Traffic. It continues until August 30.

Pilbara CICU acting officer-in-charge Senior Sergeant Paul Arnold said the operation linked into three national targets including Towards Zero, which aims to reduce road fatalities by 40 per cent by 2020, the National Ice Taskforce, and the State Operation Sweep, which was a response to an unseasonably high amount of crime in WA metropolitan districts.

Sen. Sgt Arnold said there would be no surprises with this operation and they would be notifying the public through social media as to when they were targeting certain areas and what they were finding.

“The goal is build our perception and support,” he said.

“We want to encourage habitual compliance so you take your own steps to police behaviours.”

Police have been setting up random breath stops, drug swipes and speed traps.

Sen. Sgt Arnold said they were also conducting quality vehicle stops to search for drugs and weapons in vehicles.

Another strategy was for police to lock down whole suburbs and checking leaving vehicles where there were a high percentage of suspended drivers.

Main Roads WA has also been involved in heavy haulage vehicle stops and trucks checked for false panels.

Variable message boards have been set up and police have been chatting with drivers about the importance to stop, revive and survive.