The AA is calling on the Home Secretary to appoint 1,000 new
roads police officers to improve road safety and help tackle
wider crime.
As part of their manifesto1, Labour pledged to recruit
thousands of new police officers to tackle neighbourhood crime.
The AA believes 1,000 of these new recruits should form part of
the road traffic section of forces across the country.
The request which was part of The AA's own Motoring
Manifesto2, follows AA analysis of the latest police
workforce statistics released by the Home Office3. As
of 31 March 2024, there were 4,215 traffic officers in England
and Wales, a drop of 1,022 officers from the highest point on 31
March 2016 (5,237).
Safer communities and safer roads
On first glance, recruiting more traffic officers would increase
the visibility of police on the roads. In a poll of 11,469
drivers conducted last month, more than half (57%4)
felt that drivers could get away with careless driving due to a
lack of police on the roads. Similarly, more than two fifths of
drivers said offences such as using a handheld phone behind the
wheel (44%), drug driving (42%), not wearing a seatbelt (46%) and
using a dangerous vehicle (43%) were going unpunished due to a
reduced police presence.
The wider use of technology in roads policing such as new AI
cameras5 which can detect more offences than just
speeding is welcome, but on 15% of drivers agree that roads
policing can be carried out by cameras alone. This only enforces
the need for boosting the number of traffic officers.
Interestingly, there was strong belief that more traffic officers
could help fight and reduce crime beyond the road. Nine out of 10
(91%) said having more traffic police would make communities
safer, while eight out of 10 believed that an increase in roads
policing officers could help reduce crimes such as drug dealing,
human trafficking and vehicle theft.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for The AA, said, “Be it
driving offences or wider crime, public opinion suggests that too
many people are simply getting away it. It's clear that the
public want to see more bobbies on the beat, so the government's
ambition to increase the number of police officers is welcome.
“We believe there should be a wider approach to tackling crime
and that more cops in cars could produce safer communities as
well as safer roads. A clear and visible presence is a deterrent
itself to ensure better standards of driving, as well as sending
a warning signal to criminals that the chances of being caught
are higher than before.
“Most traffic cops catch other crimes in the act, such as
discovering stolen goods, through routine stops. Similarly a
camera can spot the speeding driver, but it can't stop them if
they are under the influence of drink or drugs. Investment in
traffic officers does more than improve road safety, it produces
safer neighbourhoods too.”
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
-
Change-Labour-Party-Manifesto-2024-large-print.pdf
-
aa-motoring-manifesto-2024.pdf
(theaacorporate.com)
-
Police workforce England
and Wales statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
- Yonder received 11,469 responses
from AA members to its online poll between the 12th to 19th
August 2024 Yonder is a member of the British Polling Council and
abides by its rules.
-
More police forces join
National Highways trial of new safety cameras - National
Highways
