Police force that prosecuted one driver from 286 close pass reports now taking action in 97% of cyclist submissions

 Last spring, West Midlands Police came in for criticism after it emerged that the force had prosecuted just one driver from 286 videos of alleged close passes submitted by cyclists. Less than a year later and the force's latest Operation Snap figures reveal the stark increase in third-party video footage leading to police action, with a third of cyclists' reports in January 2024 leading to a motorist receiving a fixed-penalty notice — and 97 per cent of cyclists' reports being actioned in some way.

West Midlands Police has been publishing its Operation Snap data since August 2023, figures analysed by road.cc showing that the force received 356 reports from cyclists during the first month of 2024, including 90 for alleged mobile phone offences and 190 for "driving without due care or attention" or "driving without reasonable consideration".

Of the 356 reports received from cyclists, just three (one per cent) resulted in no further action for the motorist involved, 125 leading to a fixed-penalty notice (35 per cent), 15 in a court case (four per cent), 174 drivers accepting a place on a National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme course (49 per cent), and 33 drivers (nine per cent) receiving a warning letter. Six reports (two per cent) were classed as resulting in "other action taken".

When looking at specific offences, West Midlands Police's Operation Snap figures show that 46 per cent of cyclist reports of mobile phone use resulted in a fixed-penalty notice.

From 190 reports made by cyclists of alleged driving without due care or attention, or driving without reasonable consideration, just one was given no further action. The most common outcome (117 reports, 62 per cent) was the driver accepting an educational course, while 31 reports resulted in a fixed-penalty notice (16 per cent), 24 in a motorist being sent a warning letter (13 per cent), and 14 court cases (seven per cent). Again, three cases were resolved with "other action taken".

The remainder of reports from cyclists covered offences such as contravening a red traffic light, causing unnecessary obstruction, and contravening a cycle lane. 

> Here's what to do if you capture a near miss, close pass or collision on camera while cycling

The figures show a marked increase in West Midlands Police taking action following video reports of dangerous driving and other offences, January's 97 per cent action rate coming just six months after the force reviewed the way it processed public-reported video footage, that process coming after reporting on this website highlighted the lack of action in almost all cases.

At the time, the West Midlands' walking and cycling commissioner Adam Tranter wrote to the force's chief constable, Simon Guildford, raising concerns about the low prosecution rate. The force later admitted during the summer that it needed to adapt given the "50 per cent increase in third-party reporting" it said it had experienced.

Hinting at the strain on resources, West Midlands Police noted that reviews take an "average of 60 minutes to run from receipt to conclusion", and were being carried out by three business support assistants. Our analysis of the force's latest figures suggests improvements have been made, West Midlands Police also explaining that it has increased resource in the department in recent times.

"The team goes from strength to strength," Sgt Jordan Keen who leads the team commented. "This is about educating drivers and preventing road users – be they cyclists, pedestrians or motorists – from being killed or seriously injured."

West Midlands Police's previously poor record with Operation Snap submissions was somewhat surprising considering the force had pioneered the the award-winning and now-ubiquitous Operation Close Pass, the work of Steve Hudson and Mark Hodson.

> Should dealing with third-party camera reports from cyclists be outsourced? Close pass op pioneer Mark Hodson on the road.cc Podcast

Overall, cyclist reports made up 39 per cent of the January submissions received, 38 per cent coming from motorists, and 23 per cent from pedestrians. In total, 94 per cent of submissions were actioned in some form, 37 per cent with a fixed-penalty notice, and 10 per cent in court. But how does all this translate into cyclists' real-world experience of cycling in the West Midlands?

"I do feel there's a definite effect"

One road.cc reader who penned a social media thread on the topic also looking at some of the numbers — and noting that West Midlands Police has gone from "82 per cent ignored to 94 per cent actioned" since June — told us that they do believe the increased Operation Snap action has led to fewer close passes and fewer drivers using mobile phones behind the wheel.

"The number of reports has more than doubled but I'm comparing January 2024 to June 2023, if this continues in June 2024, West Midlands Police is likely to see well over 1,000 [submissions] in June 2024," the road.cc reader whose X (formerly Twitter) account goes by the handle @jaj991 explained.

"Is 1,000 drivers getting warning letters, FPNs or court dates every month going to make a difference? From what I see it has already made a difference. Drivers are much more aware that they are being filmed, they drop their phones much faster, and there are fewer using phones.

"I'm getting fewer close passes so it does feel a little safer. I'm encountering a lot more angry shouty drivers, obviously the increased enforcement is starting to bite. This has only been running, with the new team, for six months so it's still early days.
Of course none of that is data, it's all anecdotal but I do feel there's a definite effect already."