Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster is set to examine the impact of her investment and focus on road safety during her next scrutiny meeting.
Road Safety remains a major cause of concern among people living or working in Derbyshire and the Commissioner has made it clear she expects the force to work proactively and preventatively to help protect lives.
Road Safety is a key priority in her Police and Crime Plan and the Commissioner has supported investment in new resources and technology to enable the force to step up enforcement and take a tougher approach to dangerous driving.
To measure the outcome of this work, the Commissioner will review detailed evidence from the force at her Performance Scrutiny Meeting (PSM) on Tuesday 16th May.
PSMs provide a platform for the Commissioner to hold Chief Constable Rachel Swann to account for progress made against her improvement plans.
Members of the public are invited to submit questions ahead of the meeting and response will be provided by the Chief Constable, the Commissioner or senior officers.
Over the past 12 months, the Commissioner has delivered on her Road Safety commitment, which has led to 1000 additional hours of enforcement and prevention activity to increase safety on Derbyshire’s road network. The capacity in the Roads Policing Unit has been boosted with additional off-road bikes, extra training and investment in Bike Safe – a one-day workshop helping fully licenced riders to stay safe on the roads by developing their skills.
Additionally, she has helped to boost membership to Community Speedwatch to 93 groups and over 750 volunteers. To increase resources for the constabulary, her budget has provided an extra 60 police vehicles.
Recent figures show the work is having a positive effect with a 25 per cent reduction in the number of fatalities in the 12 months up to September 30th 2022 compared to the same period in 2019 (which pre-dates covid and is not affected by periods of lockdown.)
The Commissioner’s budget this year will support further enforcement activity, alongside additional Bike Safe workshops, the roll out of new roadside breath test devices and extra support for CSW coordinators.
Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “Dangerous and anti-social driving are issues that cause a lot of concern to all our residents regardless of where they live in the county or Derby City.
“I have made Road Safety in Derbyshire one of my key priorities and Derbyshire Constabulary is delivering on this. Additionally, I am working closely with the police and other partners such as Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure we take collective responsibility for the safety of our roads and take a proactive approach, with robust enforcement and educative and preventative work.
“Alongside making our Roads Policing Unit more resilient and capable with investment in new vehicles and resources, I have set aside considerable funds from my own budget to support parish councils and other groups in the purchase of Speed Indicator Devices in communities where speeding is proved to be a concern.
“Recent figures show this work is having a positive impact, and I am committed to doing more. This year, the budget will support further improvement in technology, additional enforcement operations, and the expansion of preventative work in our communities. This will help us build on our success. I will continue to monitor the force’s progress to ensure we are maximising results.”
The PSM meeting will take place virtually on Tuesday 16th May and will be recorded and published via the Commissioner’s website and social media channels as soon as possible after its conclusion.
The public can submit questions prior to the event between 20th February and 16th March 2023 at: https://www.derbyshire-pcc.gov.uk/public-information/public-information-secondary/performance-scrutiny-meeting/
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