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Operation Cubit is a multi-agency scheme for dealing with abandoned and untaxed vehicles (AUVs) which was introduced in Kent in 2001. This report presents the findings of an evaluation of two pilot Cubit operations. The first of these was an eight-week operation in a densely populated unitary local authority area which encompasses several towns. This operation ran from 22 January 2001 to 16 March 2001. The second pilot was a four-week operation in the town of Swanley and its surrounding rural areas. The Swanley Cubit operated from 11 June 2001 to 6 July 2001.

Title: Tackling abandoned and untaxed vehicles: An evaluation of Operation Cubit
Authors: Jessica Jacobson, Tonia Davison and Roger Tarling
Series: RDS On-line report 11/02
Number of pages: 64
Date published: October 2002

Summary

Cubit was regarded by the statutory authorities in Kent as a practical and robust method of dealing with the wide range of problems associated with AUVs. In Kent, as across Britain as a whole, the number of vehicles that are abandoned on public highways and elsewhere has increased rapidly in recent years: increased costs of legitimately disposing of unwanted vehicles is linked to this rise. The main aim of Cubit was to use multiple agencies' powers in combination to remove AUVs quickly and efficiently from the streets and other areas. The operation also had a number of supplementary aims:

• to disrupt criminality associated with the use of untaxed vehicles

• to encourage motorists to re-license their vehicles

• to discourage the abandonment of vehicles

• to improve the quality of life for local residents

• to reduce incidents of vehicle arson.

Under Cubit, AUVs were targeted by an operational team composed of a police constable, a local authority warden, and wheel-clamping and removal personnel from Sureway, the DVLA contractors. This team clamped and/or removed vehicles on public roads that appeared to be abandoned or were roadworthy but untaxed. In addition, apparently abandoned vehicles in communal car parks and on housing association land were also removed. Provisions were made for owners (able to prove ownership) to recover removed vehicles if they so wished. The DVLA undertook prosecutions for vehicle licence evasion and non-registration of disposal with respect to a proportion of the vehicles actioned under Cubit.

Results of Cubit

The main results of the Cubit operations were as follows:

Both the Medway and Swanley Cubits were effective in removing from the streets and other areas large numbers of AUVs over a short period of time:

• A total of 642 AUVs were removed during the eight-week Medway operation and an additional 102 were inspected by the operational team.

• Over the four weeks of the Swanley pilot, 184 AUVs were removed, 26 were clamped and subsequently de-clamped prior to removal and the DVLA took action against a further 60 untaxed vehicles.

• Officers involved in both operations believed the operations had a beneficial effect, at least in the short term on community safety and the local environment, a perception shared by many of the local residents surveyed.

• According to DVLA estimates, the operations encouraged a total of 3,919 motorists in Kent to voluntarily re-license their vehicles between February and July 2001.

• Operational costs were approximately £136,000. Contrasted with over £600,000 in additional revenue generated for the Treasury, a clear cost effectiveness benefit can be demonstrated

• Cubit was seen originally as having the potential to reduce the problem of vehicle arson by removing the vehicles most likely to be targeted for this type of vandalism. However, the results were mixed with incidents rising during the Medway pilot and dropping during the Swanley pilot. The impact of this type of scheme and the mechanisms needed to reduce vehicle arson need to be explored further.

Looking ahead

The Cubit pilots were successful in removing large numbers of AUVs, although their impact was limited by the short-term nature of the operations. It is, however, unrealistic to expect them to prevent motorists from abandoning vehicles or acquiring and using untaxed vehicles once the operations come to an end. Therefore there is a need for continuous action to reduce the problems associated with AUVs.

Despite the cost effectiveness of Cubit when measured against DVLA re-licensing revenue increases, this type of operation is resource-intensive. It is unlikely that in its present form Cubit, or similar schemes, could be sustained over time in a single small area, let alone across an entire county or region. The demands on staff time associated with implementing Cubit over an extended period could prove excessive for the relevant agencies. Action should therefore include:

The Government investigating the possibilities of easing the financial burden on the operation's partners through either:

• the reinvestment of some of the income derived from induced re-licensing

• the reinvestment of additional fine income generated by the operation (although this may involve relatively small amounts).

Considering developing a more streamlined version of Cubit:

• This might involve employing three or four teams of contractors on a permanent basis to work across an entire county. These teams could operate in 'short bursts' in different areas of the county in turn – using the same procedures as the Cubit pilots to remove AUVs.

• The police and local authorities would have to be involved in the development of targeted strategies and plans designed to maximise the impacts of specific short operations but, by using contractors, their operational involvement would be kept to a minimum.

• Continuous action across the whole of a county would not be possible, therefore it would be crucial to introduce alongside it improved measures for tackling AUVs on an ongoing basis such as surrender schemes.

Changes to regulations and legislation

The reforms announced recently by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the former Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR, now Department for Transport) will go some way to easing the problem of abandoned vehicles. New measures for local authorities include:

• the power to remove vehicles abandoned on the street anywhere in England after 24 hours rather than the present seven days

• increased opportunities to work with DVLA to remove unlicensed cars

• the power to dispose more quickly of unlicensed vehicles removed under DVLA powers, after seven days rather than 35

• improvements in the ease of tracing and clarification of vehicle ownership.

In April 2002 the first part of the European Union End of Life Directive came into force. This Directive introduces tighter environmental standards for the disposal of vehicles and, over time, will affect procedures as the disposal of vehicles becomes the responsibility of manufacturers. Weaknesses in the current licensing and registration systems mean that the link between the identity of the individual keeper and his or her licensed vehicle is not soundly established and this may be one factor which is involved in the individual's decision to abandon their vehicle. Various issues relating to vehicle registration have been addressed by the Vehicles (Crime) Act 2001 but the Act cannot be expected to have a major impact on licence evasion, the abandonment of vehicles and related matters. Hence the introduction of more extensive measures to formalise vehicle ownership are currently under consideration by the government. The Department for Transport has set up the Modernising Vehicle Registration Implementation Board which has the remit to take forward the recommendations of a report which considered the principles which should underlie effective vehicle registration and licensing.

Measures under consideration include, for example, the Dutch system, under which the seller and purchaser of a vehicle are required to register the change of ownership together at a Post Office. Another possible reform is to make the last registered keeper of a vehicle liable for any subsequent offences associated with that vehicle. Under such a system, the onus would fall on any individual who wishes to sell a vehicle to validate the identity of the buyer and ensure that he or she registers the acquisition.

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