Devon and Cornwall Police arrest 13 people in road safety operation

Devon and Cornwall Police launched Operation Vortex last week

Police say 13 people have been arrested as part of an operation targeting dangerous driving.

Devon and Cornwall Police launched Operation Vortex last week after a series of fatal crashes on roads in the two counties.

Officers said 98 vehicles were stopped during the first week of the two-week operation using unmarked patrol cars.

Six were arrested for drug-driving while seven were arrested for other offences, the force said.

The offences included aggravated burglary, kidnapping and false imprisonment, officers added.

In addition to the arrests, police said 15 motorists were reported for using mobile phones and nine did not have valid insurance.

The force said 30 drivers were also caught speeding - five of which were reported to court.

PC Richie Roome said the region's roads had seen a "significant number" of crashes recently.

"We would like to take this opportunity to remind drivers to be considerate of other road users, and to consider how losing their driving licence would affect them, their employment, their family and their livelihood," he said.

"Law abiding road users have nothing to fear from this operation. Our sole focus is to deal with drivers who are putting other road users at risk and keep everyone on our roads safe."

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