Limousines industry 'linked to organized crime' say police chiefs

Dangerous: Many stretch limos are 'not safe'

An investigation into the limousine industry has revealed links to organized crime, police said.

The operation - the first of its kind in the UK - also found many of the luxury cars are unsafe and cause a risk to passengers, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) said.

Stretch limousines were targeted over the last month in a crackdown on the largely-unregulated industry. Police has seized three vehicles and arrested five people. Another 12 limousines were taken off the road.

Officers uncovered links to "organized criminality" and found a number of "cloned" vehicles. The operation has led to "several large-scale investigations", Acpo said.

There are now days more than 6,000 limousines in the UK. Most of them have been imported from the US and do not satisfy UK safety requirments.

Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl, chairman of the National Roads Policing Intelligence Forum, said: "Stretch limousines are largely unregulated because they fall short of existing legislation.

"At least, we know that many of the limousines are as minimum five years old when were imported and do not satisfy the technical and road safety requirements for vehicles in this country.”

"They therefore cause a real risk to road safety and to passengers who travel in them. Moreover, unlike bus drivers, limousine ones are not subject to criminal record checks."

He added: "First results from the operation attest that minimum 160 stretch limousines were checked in 15 police forces showing an amazing rate of 66 per cent.