Met Police officer goes undercover in Camden as cycle commuter to catch dangerous drivers

A police officer talks to a motorist as part of the police operation in Camden
Jamie Bullen7 October 2016

A police officer is disguising himself as a cyclist in a bid to catch drivers who overtake dangerously.

Sergeant Nick Clarke cycled a loop around Camden Town and Primrose Hill in plain clothes while uniformed officers were stationed at busy junctions to check for drivers not allowing him a safe passing distance, the Camden New Journal reported.

The two-hour operation will run once a week at the end of morning rush hour, the newspaper added.

On Wednesday, 14 drivers were stopped for offences including jumping red lights and using mobile phones while nine cyclists were also pulled over mostly for ignoring red signals.

Only one motorist was spoken to for passing too closely.

The move is thought to be the first of its kind in London and has been hailed by campaigners as a "historic" step to improve road safety.

Sergeant Clarke, who leads the Camden Road and Primrose Hill safer neighbourhoods team, told the Journal he was inspired to employ the strategy after it was used by West Midlands Police.

He said: “I basically just read the article and thought we can do that on a smaller scale. There is no reason we can’t emulate that.”

Initiallly, drivers found to overtake cyclists too closely will be given a warning but prosecutions could be lodged if the scheme is continued.

Road safety campaigners hailed the operation as “historic decision” with hopes it will be rolled out across London if successful.

Activist Tom Kearney, who was hit by a bus and left in a coma, said the move will “greatly reduce danger for all road users, particularly for people who choose to cycle or walk”.

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