Operation SNAP has been in operation for a number of years. The public reporting system for driving offences has proved popular and has helped bring those committing illegal activities to justice.
As specialists in road traffic accident claims, Personal Injury Claims UK set out to research how effective Operation SNAP has been. Below, you can find the statistics gleaned from our research, broken down by area.
If you have any questions about this data or would like to cover the story, please get in touch.
What Is Operation SNAP?
Despite being formally introduced in 2017, Operation Snap was not rolled out by the majority of police forces around the UK until 2021. In the period since, dashcam submissions have increased exponentially.
According to National Dashcam safety portal submissions, there is a distinctive correlation between the introduction of Operation SNAP and dashcam submissions received from the public and the actual rate of police intervention for these driving offences.
Roughly 70% of dashcam footage submissions have led to warnings, penalty points, driver awareness courses and further prosecutions.
This could mean that dashcam footage submissions to the police were leading to as many as 90,000 motoring convictions, prosecutions, or warnings per year.
How Did We Conduct Our Research?
The research aimed to highlight the exponential growth of submissions to police forces per area across the UK under the Operation SNAP initiative.
Legal Expert began the campaign by combining readily available information with FOI requests sent out to all Police forces for up-to-date data.
The request included specific questions about the number of submissions made to police forces.
It considered the type of reporter, the offence committed, the location of the submission, and the chosen punishment. This helped to identify problem areas for driving offences and where drivers are most frequently caught.
Statistics On Offences Recorded Under Operation SNAP By Area
West Yorkshire Police
- West Yorkshire made a total of 2,002 reports between January and March
- The total number of submissions made in 2023 was 7,836, and the latest figures show that reports could exceed 8,000 by the end of 2024
- Vehicle drivers have been particularly vigilant about whom they share the roads with, contributing 50% of the total 2,001 reports made to the police.
- Cyclists were the second most frequent reporters of driving offences, making 757 attempts to report other road users
- 1,453 incidents were reported to the police for driving without reasonable consideration for others and without due care and attention.
- Personal Injury Claims UK analysed the number of reports by area and found Leeds was the top reporter, making 734 submissions to police, 36% of the total number of reports made by the five districts in West Yorkshire.
- Figures indicate that 67% of all reports in the region under Operation SNAP resulted in offenders being punished for their actions on the road.
Derbyshire Constabulary
- The people of Derbyshire have played a significant role in the 93% increase in driving offence reports made to the police under Operation SNAP since 2021, helping the Police reduce dangerous drivers.
- The force received 27% more submissions of bad driving by other road users in 2023 compared to 2022
- Derbyshire received 905 complaints regarding poor driving in 2021. This number increased by 93% in 2023, reaching 1,753 submissions.
