The start point for the best source of fleet information |
Traffic cop numbers drop by 12%
Date: 25 July 2013 | Author: Jack Carfrae
The number of traffic police on UK roads has dropped by 12% over the past five years according to data from road safety charity Brake. The organisation also reported that numbers were down as much as 30-40% in some areas - Wales and England averaged 31% and 13% drops across the board, while Scotland recorded a 4% rise. The largest known reduction was in Bedfordshire at 44%.
The organisation is lobbying the Government to reinstate traffic cops on safety grounds. Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive at Brake, said: "It is desperately worrying such large cuts continue to be made to traffic policing. Roads police officers do a vital job enforcing important safety laws and protecting the public - their work is proven to save lives and prevent injuries and suffering.
"Cutting traffic police is a false economy, because the crashes and casualties they help to prevent inflict such devastation and are a huge drain on public services.
"These cuts also undermine important progress being made by Government to tackle drug-driving - because as much as we need a new drug-driving law and screening devices, we also need the officers out there to enforce it.
"We urge the Government to make roads policing a national policing priority, to make sure we have a strong deterrent against the risk-taking on roads that can easily cost lives."
