Page 22 - WMPF Federation Oct-Nov 2018-flip_Neat

Operation Top Deck

Officers take the

bus in pioneering

road safety scheme

eckless drivers who use mobile to police bikers who divert offenders to evidence of offending drivers via a dedicated
phones at the wheel risk prosecution a designated site where they are given self-reporting site on the Force website.
Rthanks to a pioneering West Midlands advice and shown a hard-hitting, virtual PC Mark Hodson said: “Using mobile
Police road safety initiative in which officers reality video highlighting the potentially phones while driving is proven to be as
film offenders from buses. devastating consequences of using a phone dangerous as drink-driving; it can devastate
Operation Top Deck, the first of its kind in while driving. lives and people need to understand this
the country, has been launched by the Force’s It’s the first operation of its kind in the isn’t acceptable. We want to create a
Road Harm Reduction Team and sees plain UK and follows other initiatives introduced credible, constant threat of prosecution to
clothes officers equipped with video cameras by the unit – including Operation Close Pass, induce wholesale driver behavioural change
peering down at passing motorists on the targeting motorists who endanger cyclists – and make our roads safer.
look-out for distracted drivers. It particularly which have been embraced by police forces “The buses are ‘borrowed’ from National
aims to deter mobile phone use while across the country. Express and will look like any other bus in
driving. Bus passengers can also support service – but they will be driven by Safer
The officers involved, on spotting drivers Operation Top Deck – a joint project with Travel officers who are qualified bus drivers
using their phones or engaged in other National Express and Transport for West and the passengers will be police officers or
distracting behaviour, radio information Midlands – by supplying their own video PSCOs equipped with video cameras.

Issuing a ticket.

22 federation October/November 2018 www.polfed.org/westmids