Motorists are being encouraged to spy on each other and report incidents of antisocial driving to the police under a new scheme.
Motorists are being encouraged to report antisocial driving Photo: PA Thousands of drivers have been reported by fellow motorists after being spotted speeding, drink driving or talking on mobile phones.
Anyone reported twice in a year could face police action under the scheme, named Operation Crackdown. The culprits could receive a home visit or a warning letter.
Sussex Police is trialling the campaign and has already received 20,488 reports from the public. Warning letters have been sent to 2,695, while a further 1,047 have been sanctioned for offences such as having an out-of-date tax disc.
The scheme, under which reports are submitted anonymously online, could be rolled out nationally if it is deemed a success.
But privacy campaigners have likened it to the tactics of the Stasi in East Germany, which encouraged residents to inform on one another.
Quite apart from the moral aspects of this Stasi like snitching system, I don't see how any charges could ever be brought as there isn't a shred of evidence that any offence has been committed, just the uncorroborated word of an anonymous grass.
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