APCC response to HMICFRS report on roads policing
APCC lead for road safety, Alison Hernandez said:
“This report has come just at the right time. Road safety is one of the public’s top priorities and rightly so. Tragically, over the last few years 5,369 people lost their lives on Britain’s roads and a further 74,443 people suffered serious injuries. This is a dreadful loss of life and we all have a part to play in making our roads safer.
“It’s when you spend time with bereaved families and people who are utterly frustrated by the flouting of the law by drivers in their communities that you realise it is our combined duty to do more. Robust roads policing also disrupts other criminality and I have witnessed the pride roads police officers have when they discover a significant drugs haul.
“Whilst there is undoubtedly excellent work being undertaken, it is right that we take stock of what more policing and partners can do. The APCC has, for the first time, established a new portfolio dedicated to road safety and roads policing to take this work forward.
“Effective police enforcement of road safety is vital, but this report recognises that the safety of our roads is a collective effort. Enforcement is only one way in which we improve the public’s safety, but it does also have the added value of helping deny criminals the use of our roads too when good intelligence is available and efforts are targeted towards them.
“Along with the DfT consultation published earlier this week and the recent study into roads policing and its contribution to road safety by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety this HMICFRS report will provide us with the most comprehensive understanding of the challenge ahead and importantly demonstrates the determination from all to make the improvements needed to increase the safety of all road users.
“As the APCC’s representative on the Roads Policing Review Board, which commissioned this report, I shall be working with the National Police Chiefs Council, Department for Transport and Home Office to oversee the comprehensive review of road traffic enforcement. There is a renewed effort to make a real change in the safety of our roads by looking at all areas not just the police. I truly believe this is a pivotal moment.”