Extra investment by Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster is helping police to crackdown on illegal drivers and tackle the public's top road safety concerns.
Since her election in 2021, the Commissioner has funded a raft of road safety initiatives to reduce casualties and fatalities and boost the force's capacity to investigate and prosecute dangerous drivers.
The results of these efforts were discussed at the last Commissioner's Performance Scrutiny Meeting (PSM). These meetings, attended by the Chief Constable and senior officers, provide a platform for the Commissioner to scrutinise progress against her Police and Crime Plan priorities and identify areas where she expects to see further improvements.
Among many successes highlighted was Operation Sparta, a safety scheme funded by the Commissioner in May 2022 to target the fatal four offences (speeding, using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt and drink/drug driving).
The scheme provides speed enforcement at sites where communities have raised concerns and uses intelligence to target offenders. Due to the success of the operation, it will now continue throughout 2023.
The Commissioner has also enabled additional speed enforcement by the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) through her budget. This has seen ongoing speed enforcement activity delivered at 40 sites every month. The initiative is one of the force's most successful to date, helping to improve road safety and directly address public concerns around speeding.
The number of speeding offences detected increased significantly in 2021 (56,765 offences) and 2022 (54,649 offences) compared with 2018 (38,684 offences).
In other progress, the force's Specialist ANPR Level 2 Crime Unit (SALCU) has achieved impressive results tackling cross border criminality, seizing more than £400k in cash and taking almost £4m worth of drugs from the streets over the past 12 months.
The team, who are all advanced drivers, take an intelligence-led approach to target criminals and organised crime groups who use Derbyshire's road network to carry out their crimes, often driving at high speeds in stolen or uninsured vehicles and causing a danger to the public.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "Too many people die or are seriously injured still on our roads. The delivery of tough enforcement and education remain key priorities for me, and I have invested substantial extra funding to deliver these.
"The projects I have supported protect all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists. They have also increased the capacity of Roads Policing Unit to capture evidence and prosecute motorists who put the public at risk.
"When I was elected, I promised that I would provide the tools and resources police officers need to do their jobs effectively. We are now seeing the results of my focus and investment.
"We know that road safety is the responsibility of many partners, not just the police. I will continue to work closely with Derbyshire and Derby Road Safety Partnership (DDRSP), and other key stakeholders to maximise the safety of all road users."
In 2022/23, as well as funding extra police enforcement activities, the Commissioner funded four off-road motorcycles fitted with lights and sirens to help the RPU tackle motorcycles being used illegally off-road.
The bikes, which were launched in February this year, are now targeting ten priority areas initially. Four additional riders are set to be trained by June.
In addition, the Commissioner has supported the roll-out of Operation Capture. This enables residents to upload dashcam footage of dangerous driving incidents to help secure vital evidence that can help bring offenders to justice.
The PSM meeting also highlighted the success of Operation Cruiser, a DDRSP-backed initiative launched in May 2022. It is currently focussed on the High Peak and Derbyshire Dales areas to improve road safety and reduce motorcyclist casualties. The operation will continue in 2023.
Furthermore, in March 2022, the Commissioner provided funding towards the introduction of BikeSafe - a unique police-led motorcycle initiative. It works directly with riders to raise awareness of the value of achieving accredited post-test training. Training has already been delivered to more than 250 riders, covering 26,000 miles of Derbyshire roads. In October last year, Derbyshire received a National BikeSafe award for ‘outstanding service'.