Plans for public crime spotters could expand
POLICE plans to use the public as crime spotters could be expanded in future, because safety experts believe the schemes are an answer to falling numbers of traffic officers.
Earlier this month, the National Police Chief’s Council launched a week-long programme to clamp down on mobile phone use behind the wheel, with the trial including the use of community spotters to report offenders to the police.
It comes after Essex Police revealed a new programme called Neighbourhood Watch on Wheels, which recruits driving instructors to act as their “eyes and ears” on the roads.
Instructors who sign up are given a crime map of the area, descriptions of wanted suspects and asked to call the police if they spot anything suspicious. The police also hope to use the relevant footage from instructors’ dash cams as evidence in court cases.
RAC road safety spokesman Pete Williams said “desperate times call for desperate measures” as the number of traffic cops has fallen by a third in the past five years. He claimed “imaginative” ways of tackling problems like mobile use are needed, adding: “Community speed camera partnerships could be a good model to follow [in the future] so communities understand the role of volunteers in helping keep our roads safer.”
Trial could pave way for more ‘Neighbourhood Watch on Wheels’