Case Study:
WMP Operation Top Deck
Overview of the approach
Operation Top Deck is an approach developed by West
Midlands Police that uses a local bus company’s vehicle
to house a ‘spotter’ officer who identifies offending
behaviour of drivers as the bus travels along its route.
Officers are teamed with intercepting officers who
instruct the offender to pull over and who provide
the appropriate response to the offence. A range of
offences may be identified, with mobile phone use by
drivers one of them and indeed being the focus during
the launch of Top Deck during NPCC ‘mobile phone
week’ in September 2018. Fire and Rescue Service
and Local Authority partners were also involved and
provided education and virtual reality experiences
to those drivers who had been caught commiting an
offence while stationary in traffic. Those
committing the offence whilst moving received a fixed
penalty notice.
The Operation was widely publicised (some similar
operations have utilised a covert approach) in an
attempt to increase awareness of the growing number
of ways that offending behaviour can be identified and
hence deter it.
For more information contact
Sgt. Jon Butler
jonathan.butler@west-midlands.
pnn.police.uk
Operation Top Deck also involves a public reporting component (see p124) where members of the public are
encouraged to take mobile footage of driving offences when using public transport, and to report them through
the force online reporting facility. This is intended to increase perceptions that detection and punishment is likely.
Mobile:Engaged contribution
Knowledge Exchange
Our first Knowledge Exchange Consultation with officers from West Midlands Police took place during the
development of Top Deck. We then attended the launch of the Operation before finally meeting with the team
again for a debrief following the week of activity.
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