Policing priorities
Home Office calls for greater focus on roads policing
Published on February 27, 2023
It’s Home Office document describes this area of the police’s work as a priority for all forces. In turn, this has been described as a “major breakthrough” in the battle to improve road safety By PACTS (Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety).
Top level
This new document was published on 20th February – a high-level document which sets priorities that all police forces must address.
Forces will be required to give roads policing greater attention and to cooperate regionally and nationally. Police and crime commissioners will also be expected to include roads policing in their Police and Crime Plans.
Inclusion of roads policing in the Strategic Policing Requirement was first called for by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) back in June 2020.
However, whether this can be effectively delivered considering the huge drop in police numbers, especially traffic officers, remains to be seen. The government is currently undergoing a recruitment drive in an attempt to reverse huge cuts in the workforce the government required. over the last decade.
High priority
PACTS has welcomed the announcement, describing it as a major breakthrough following a ‘downward trend in roads policing’ in recent years.
“Roads policing has been in retreat for a decade,” says David Davies, PACTS executive director.
“The prioritisation of roads policing by the government in its Strategic Policing Requirement is a major breakthrough. While the Home Office has understandably focused on reducing crime, more roads policing will also benefit road safety.
“The number of road deaths is more than twice the deaths from homicide and terrorism combined and breaches of road traffic laws are the biggest single cause of road deaths. The public supports more enforcement.
“Roads policing provides double value: tackling those who drive dangerously often disrupts wider criminality. For example, Essex Police found that almost half the drug-drive offenders had previous arrest records for serious crimes such as burglary, drug dealing and violent crime.
“PACTS urges the Home Office to swiftly develop plans to implement this strategic requirement and make our roads safer.”
Seeking targets
Some 1,700 people die on UK roads each year—more than twice the number of deaths from homicides and terrorism combined. A further 25,000+ people are seriously injured. This comes against the backdrop of a downward trend in roads policing which has dual benefits of tackling crime and safety.
This new Strategic Policing Requirement, recognises the importance of roads policing in disrupting crime and preventing harm.
PACTS published a report in June 2020 – ‘‘Roads policing and its contribution to road safety’,
This report investigates links between roads policing, compliance with traffic laws and road casualties. It summarises the policy and responsibility framework for policing in the UK and identifies trends in enforcement, compliance and casualties relating to the “fatal four” offences (speeding, drink and drug driving, non-wearing of seat belts and mobile phone use).
Driving crime out
Commenting on the new requirements, PACTS states:
“While the Home Office has understandably focused on reducing crime, more roads policing will also benefit road safety. The number of road deaths is more than twice the deaths from homicide and terrorism combined and breaches of road traffic laws are the biggest single cause of road deaths.
“The public support more enforcement. Roads policing provides double value: tackling those who drive dangerously often disrupts wider criminality.
“For example, Essex police found that almost half the drug-drive offenders had previous arrest records for serious crimes such as burglary, drug dealing and violent crime.
“PACTS urges the Home Office and Police & Crime Commissioners to swiftly develop plans to implement this strategic requirement and make our roads safer.”