PCC admits staff shortages lead to delays in prosecuting dangerous drivers
Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner say’s it’s “due to resourcing issues within the Traffic Team”
Thames Police and Crime Commissioner has admitted reports of dangerous driving are not being processed and prosecuted “due to resourcing issues within the Traffic Team”.
By law, a Notices of Intention to Prosecute (NoIPs) must be issued within 14 days of the offence being committed, unless the driver is verbally warned at the time of the incident.
However, due to staff shortages, Thames Valley Police have been unable to give some Notices of Intention to Prosecute within the two-week period.
'The Force takes these incidents seriously'
In a statement, Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber said: “I recognise that, due to resourcing issues within the Traffic Team, there has been some delays in the issuing of Notices of Intention to Prosecute (NoIPs) and I appreciate this will have caused frustrations.
“That is why the Chief Constable and I agreed funding to recruit more staff to expand the team earlier this year. Recruitment is already underway with some posts filled which will alleviate these issues. I have also asked the Chief Constable to explore ways to streamline the reporting of incidents to make it easier for the both the public to report and for the Force to respond.
“It is important to stress that, despite resourcing pressures, the vast majority of incidents reported are being dealt with within the legal timeframe. The Force takes these incidents seriously and I encourage residents to continue to report.”