Police invited the media to join them yesterday morning as they work to crack down on traffic offences.

At about 7.20am, officers from the Roads Policing Unit set up a speed trap on Canal Road in Pembroke below the overpass. Within five minutes, the officers pulled over and ticketed their first speeder.

While the majority of drivers appeared to be travelling fairly slowly down the one-way road, the rate of deceleration was more pronounced upon sight of officers clad in high-visibility jackets.

After 20 minutes with no further offences, the officers decided to move to Middle Road near the Arboretum, but as they prepared to move, they clocked a second speeder at 67km/h.

The Royal Gazette then joined officers stationed near the traffic lights at the intersection of Middle Road and South Road in Paget, passing what appeared to be another police traffic stop on Trimingham Road.

With rush hour in full swing, speeding was less of a concern in Paget but officers still had their hands full.

Despite the clear presence of officers, police vehicles and the media, a steady stream of motorists were pulled over for traffic offences at the bus lay-by opposite the entrance to Tankfield Hill. The most common issue appeared to be motorcycle riders creating a “third lane” — essentially overtaking while traffic is moving through the oncoming lane.

Over the course of a few minutes, dozens of motorcycles were seen overtaking the line of cars caught in the eastbound lane on Middle Road before the traffic lights. While the majority pulled back into their lanes for oncoming traffic, a handful attempted to continue forward, only to be pulled over by officers a short distance away.

Officers also mentioned they were keeping an eye out for “distracted driving” — using cellphones or other hand-held electronics while driving — but that offence did not appear to be prevalent during the morning rush hour.

While some motorists appeared upset by traffic delays, at least two were seen thanking the officers for their efforts as they drove past.