Page 16 - WMPF Federation FEB-MAR 2022_Neat

ROADS POLICING

‘Roads policing must be

seen as an essential’

oads policing is absolutely essential for part of policing and should be properly
forces and the safety of the public resourced, not least for the safety of the
Rshould not be just a “nice to do”. public, but we also know that a proportion of
That’s the view of Tim Rogers, West those who commit a road traffic offence are
Midlands Police Federation secretary and the involved in other criminality. These serial
Federation’s national driver training lead. recidivists are not detected by inanimate
Tim has hit out at the current state of technology, they need officers on the roads.
roads policing, which he says is all too often “The public want us to deal with that, to go
treated like a poor relation which has a huge after the high-level criminals and those who
impact on road safety. drive like idiots to keep them safe.”
Tim said: “Motorists here in the West He was also critical of chief officers who,
Midlands and up and down the country have he said, are given a budget with an expectation
the right to know their roads are being policed that there would be a ‘proportionate’
and that we’re keeping them safe. In our region investment in roads policing. He challenged the
alone we have seen a 30 per cent reduction in Government, PCCs and force leaders to ensure
dedicated roads policing officer and that has that along with the Uplift Programme on
had an impact on the service the Force recruitment there was a proportionate increase
provides. in funding for roads policing, infrastructure Tim Rogers, West Midlands Police
“For far too long now roads policing has and training needs. Federation secretary and the
been treated as a poor relation with cuts to “More than 18 months ago, Her Majesty’s Federation’s national driver training lead.
budgets, cuts to officer numbers and cuts to Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire &
training. Rescue Services published the findings of its with the offences that cause road deaths,” Tim
“For many of my colleagues, a large own inspection and concluded that roads explained.
percentage of their time is spent away from policing is seen as less of a priority than it “The report made it clear that the
roads policing on other areas – and it’s just not should be and highlighted that spending on Government, police and crime commissioners,
good enough. roads policing had been reduced by 34 per chief officers, and the College of Policing had
“Roads policing is an absolutely essential cent meaning there were fewer officers dealing to recognise the importance of roads policing

16 federation February/March 2022 www.polfed.org/westmids