Police pledge support to speed watch schemes across South Gloucestershire (From Gazette Series)

Police pledge support to speed watch schemes across South Gloucestershire

8:50am Sunday 7th March 2010

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)

SPEED watch schemes across South Gloucestershire have been pledged continued support from the police.

Avon and Somerset Constabulary and Safer South Gloucestershire have renewed their commitment to the schemes by publishing a code of practice and pledging to continue their support.

Neighbourhood Sergeant Adrian Fallows said: "We know from attending meetings and talking to the community that speeding is one of the key issues for people across South Gloucestershire.

"Neighbourhood police work closely with the council's highways department and with our road policing colleagues to tackle speeding issues, but we can't be everywhere at once.

"Having a Community Speed Watch scheme in place sends a clear message to motorists that this behaviour will not be tolerated in that area."

Schemes currently run in Alveston, Badminton, Elberton, Frampton Cotterell, Hawkesbury, Pucklechurch, Stoke Gifford, Thornbury, Tytherington and Wickwar.

Volunteers run the scheme after receiving training from police.

They use speed monitoring equipment and note the details of any vehicle exceeding the limit, which are then passed to the police who write a warning letter to the registered owner.

Sgt Fallows said more than 500 letters had been issued to speeding drivers over the last year.

If vehicles are persistently being driven above the speed limit, the volunteers could be joined by a regular police officer with the power to issue speeding tickets, or the individual vehicle could be targeted by police.

Anyone interested in joining or setting up a speed watch for their community should contact Sgt Fallows at Chipping Sodbury Police Station on 0845 456 7000 or visit www.avonandsomerset.police.uk for more information.

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(0)