|
A
new strategy for policing the roads was today announced by Alistair
Darling, Secretary of State for Transport, Home Office Minister Caroline
Flint and Richard Brunstrom, Head of Road Policing for the Association
of Chief Police Officers.
The
joint strategy identifies the following policing priorities:
-
Denying
criminals use of the roads by enforcing the law
-
Reducing
road casualties
-
Tackling
the threat of terrorism
-
Reducing
anti social use of the roads
-
Enhancing
public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads
It
clearly sets the Police commitment to deal with all forms of illegal and
anti social use of the roads, including drink driving, speeding,
dangerous or careless driving and behaviour which is threatening to road
users – including pedestrians as well as drivers. The strategy aims to
tackle these through:
-
A
highly visible police presence on the roads
-
Continued
operation of the National Safety Camera Programme for cutting
casualties and deaths at collision blackspots
-
A
national police Drink and Drug Driving Campaign
-
A
national police Seat Belt Campaign to increase the level of seat
belt wearing, especially in the rear-seats and by children
Speaking
ahead of today's Second Reading of the Road Safety Bill Alistair Darling
said:
"This
clear and shared commitment to policing the roads is backed up by the
Road Safety Bill. There can be no doubt that we are committed to
enforcing existing laws, and measures contained in the Bill, to ensure
that everyone can use the road safely and without intimidation.
"We’ve
had significant success in recent years at reducing the number of
casualties on our roads. But we can and will do even better. Unlawful
and anti-social behaviour on the road is not acceptable."
Caroline
Flint said:
"Roads
policing is an important and valuable part of day-to-day policing. It
not only helps reduce deaths and injuries on the roads, but reduces
anti-social and criminal misuse of vehicles and provides a reassuring
presence to the public.
"A
key element in the strategy is the increased use of new technology
such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition Technology (ANPR). Officers
using ANPR make nine times the number of arrests and contribute to
three times the number of offenders brought to justice compared with a
conventional officer.
"But, technology is not the whole picture - the strategy will
ensure that there is an adequate police presence on the roads to deal
with significant problems which cannot be detected by technology,
including drink and drug driving, and to help wider crime reduction.
"We are committed to challenging unlawful and unruly behaviour on
the roads as we do on the streets and in other public places. The Road
Policing Strategy published today reaffirms this commitment and will
make a significant contribution to road safety and law
enforcement."
Richard
Brunstrom said:
"Tackling
irresponsible, unlawful and anti-social use of the roads is rightly a
policing priority. I'm delighted to see the Home Office, Department
for Transport and ACPO joining forces in this very public way - this
statement will set the tone for roads policing for years to
come."
Notes
1. The Government’s National Policing Plan 2005-08, published in
November 2004 identified roads policing as one of the components in the
NPP priority to ‘Reduce people’s concerns about crime and anti
social behaviour and disorder’. The joint DfT, Home Office, ACPO
strategy is part of the delivery of the NPP.
2.
Police performance in delivering the NPP’s objectives is monitored
through the Policing Performance Assessment Framework, including the
number of people killed or seriously injured in police force areas,
relative to the volume of traffic.
This is a very high-level measure. As part of the Roads Policing
Strategy, the police will develop more detailed but simple indicators of
forces’ success in delivering the key objectives including the level
of drink driving, level of speeding, level of seat belt wearing and
measures of how safe and secure people feel on the roads.
3.
The joint strategy covers police forces across England and Wales.
Source:
News Release 2005/0001, UK DfT
|
