Community Speed Watch reaches ten year milestone
It takes place in Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
As Community Speed Watch reaches its 10th anniversary within Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire, local communities are being reminded about the scheme and how volunteers can get involved in speed monitoring and improve the quality of life in their area if speeding traffic is causing concern.
Today marks 10 years to the day since the very first Community Speed Watch scheme launched in Crowle, Worcestershire.
Since then, over 75 local groups in total have been formed across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.
To mark the milestone, today Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion and Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper went out on patrol with the Community Speed Watch scheme in Drakes Broughton, Pershore.
Community Speed Watch is a community driven road safety initiative, coordinated by West Mercia Police but managed and run by volunteers in the community.
It involves trained volunteers from the community monitoring the speeds of vehicles with approved, hand-held speed measurement devices.
Where vehicle speeds are found to be inappropriate, a letter is sent to the registered keeper by the police with the aim of encouraging them to reduce their speed when driving in the future.
There are currently over 45 active sites currently operating across the force area.
The scheme was introduced to enhance the force’s speed enforcement strategy by addressing community concerns in areas that do not meet either speed or collision criteria for police-led enforcement.
Deputy Chief Constable Richard Cooper, West Mercia Police said: “We are very proud of the Community Speed Watch scheme and would like to thank everyone involved as we reach the 10th anniversary.
"First and foremost, thank you to our CSW volunteers running the scheme in their local areas. They give up their time to monitor speeds to try and make their community a safer place and their contribution is immeasurable. Excessive or inappropriate speed continues to affect the quality of life for many communities across the three counties.
"As part of our continued support towards the Local Policing Charter, CSW enables communities to take an active role in addressing concerns about speeding traffic. We would also like to thank the many others involved in setting up new CSW schemes including our Safer Neighbourhood Team officers, Force Community Speed Watch Coordinators and our town and parish council partners.
"In many areas where CSW is already in place, local residents have seen a positive change in driver behaviour and compliance with the speed limit and we look forward to replicating those results across more areas in the future.”
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion said: “It’s brilliant to see the difference Community Speed Watch schemes are playing to ensure roads are safer across West Mercia.
“The time and effort the volunteers put into the scheme does not go unnoticed. They are a driving force in educating motorists about their speed and helping to reduce the excessive harm too often caused on our roads. As PCC, I remain committed to empowering people and giving them the resources they need to influence positive change in their community".