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Number of traffic police falls below 5,000

Date: 08 February 2017   |   Author: Daniel Puddicombe

There are fewer than 5,000 dedicated traffic police officers in the UK, new figures have revealed.

According to data obtained by motoring charity the RAC Foundation, released by policing minister Brendon Lewis in response to a parliamentary question, there are now 4,934 officers across all 43 forces.

This compares with last year's figure of 5,237, with the numbers shrinking in all but seven cases.

Northamptonshire saw the biggest cull in officers at 74%, followed by Norfolk (65%) and West Yorkshire (50%).

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, reacted with disappointment, especially as tougher mobile phone laws are due to come into force from next month.

"These figures reveal a concerning, and in some cases extremely alarming, decline in specialist roads policing. And this at a time when traffic volumes are growing, the number of annual road deaths is barely falling and more motoring laws are being introduced and need enforcing," he said. "Stricter laws are of little deterrent if drivers don't believe they will be caught."

Jayne Willetts, lead for roads policing for the Police Federation of England and Wales, called for further investment in road forces. "The thin blue line is now so thin on our roads system that we are almost to the point of being invisible. We should be looking to invest in more of these highly trained, specialist officers."



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