We can’t afford to stop drivers using mobiles, say police chiefs

DRIVERS are routinely getting away with using mobile phones at the wheel because police forces do not have enough staff to stop them, senior officers admitted yesterday.

Two forces told MPs that cuts to the number of officers on road patrol mean the risk of being caught for traffic offences is ‘probably less than it used to be’.

Last night MPs and road safety campaigners described the trend as ‘very concerning’ and said it put the public at a higher risk from reckless driving.

Department for Transport figures show an increase in the number of motorists seen using mobiles at the wheel, an offence since 2003. But prosecutions by magistrates have halved in five years.

Inspector Steve Cox of Wiltshire Police told MPs yesterday: ‘There are less road police than there were in the past so the chance of being caught is probably less than it used to be.’

Superintendent Paul Keasey of West Midlands Police said: ‘If you haven’t got the officers to do the work, the reality is it won’t be done.’

Asked how this affected motorists, he said: ‘People will always see a reduction in numbers as “are we likely to be caught?”’ Prosecutions for using a phone at the wheel have fallen from 32,571 in 2009 to 17,414 last year, figures from the RAC show.

Using a non-hands-free phone while driving carries three penalty points and a £100 fine. If this is not paid or the driver already has too many points on their licence, they go to court where they face disqualification or a fine of up to £1,000.

Yesterday MPs on the transport select committee were told the drop in prosecutions was also partly due to more drivers caught committing minor offences being sent on safety courses rather than given penalty points.

But both officers emphasised the reduction in the number of traffic police, which has fallen from 7,000 to 4,300 in the past decade. Labour MP Graham Stringer, who sits on the committee, said: ‘The evidence we heard is very concerning.

‘It’s clear the technological approach to policing hasn’t made up for the reduction in police numbers ... This puts the public more at risk.’