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“ FOR FAR TOO LONG NOW

ROADS POLICING HAS BEEN
TREATED AS A POOR

RELATION WITH CUTS TO Call for re-investment

BUDGETS, CUTS TO OFFICER
NUMBERS AND CUTS TO in roads policing
TRAINING. FOR MANY OF MY

COLLEAGUES, A LARGE Tim Rogers has called for more investment law-abiding people but don’t really deter or
in roads policing after an investigation catch uninsured drivers, drink drivers,
PERCENTAGE OF THEIR TIME found half of Britain’s fixed speed cameras dangerous drivers and motorists using their
IS SPENT AWAY FROM don’t work. phones at the wheel.
He says money would be better spent

“We need proper investment in roads

ROADS POLICING ON OTHER in other areas of roads policing than policing to help ensure the safety of motorists,
replacing broken cameras. road users and the general public. And by that
AREAS – AND IT’S JUST NOT He was speaking after a I mean we need more cops in cars.
BBC Panorama documentary broadcast on “More roads police officers and more
GOOD ENOUGH. Monday investigated the increasing risks visibility on the roads will act as a deterrent
motorists face on the roads and asked while also helping us go after dangerous
whether weaker policing was to blame. drivers and those involved in other
in reducing death on the roads. But still we are “There’s no simple fix to the issue of criminality.”
not seeing adequate levels of investment and improving safety on our roads, which has Tim added: “Effective roads policing
the Parliamentary Advisory Council for been highlighted by this BBC needs officers to engage with drivers, to
Transport Safety (PACTS) has consistently documentary,” said Tim. educate them and to help improve driving
raised concerns about road safety.” “While it’s disappointing to see that so standards. Since the cuts to policing
Tim believes roads policing budgets have many fixed speed cameras aren’t working, budgets began in 2009, we have seen a
been mismanaged by chiefs and, with the they only play a small part in roads lack of investment in roads policing and it’s
Government indicating it wants the roads policing. time this was addressed as a matter of
policed, wants to see roads policing aligned “They often seem to penalise generally urgency.”
with the Department for Transport to protect
the budget.
Tim says while the Force has road deaths
and serious injuries as a key performance
indicator this should be discussed at chief
officer level more regularly as this would send
a clear message to the families of the 100
people killed on the region’s roads in a year
that it is taking road safety seriously. Roads
policing is already part of the Strategic Policing
Requirement.
Tim’s comments follow
an investigation by Auto Express into the
impact of cuts to road policing.
He said that the cuts of the austerity years
have not only seen a reduction in the numbers
of roads policing officers but has also led to
what he describes as a “brain drain”.
“We’ve lost an awful lot of experience as
part of those cutbacks,” he said, “And while the
Government is saying it is recruiting 20,000
new officers they’re not an immediate
substitute for the brain drain we’ve
experienced in the last decade and more and
we are not seeing a commitment to increase
the number of specialist roads policing officers.
“It takes time, training and investment to
bring new recruits up to the level that we need
– we’re going to be playing catch-up for 10
maybe 15 years.”

www.polfed.org/westmids federation February/March 2022 17