Police and Crime Commissioner honours achievements of Derbyshire's road safety volunteers
Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has praised the contribution of the county's road safety volunteers during a special event celebrating the success of the scheme.
The Derbyshire Community Speedwatch Seminar was hosted at Force Headquarters in Ripley and recognised the efforts of hundreds of Community Speedwatch volunteers who help to promote safer driving behaviour across the county's towns and villages.
The Commissioner prioritised Road Safety in her Police and Crime Plan as this is a key concern for residents, who consistently raise the impact of speeding and dangerous driving in their communities as an issue.
Her plan sets out expectations for Derbyshire Constabulary to help tackle the fatal four causes of collisions (speeding, drugs/alcohol, seatbelts and mobile phones), increase the number of Community Speedwatch volunteers and support their work while also using intelligence from their activities to inform proactive enforcement by the force.
The seminar was attended by Speedwatch Co-ordinators within the Casualty Reduction Enforcement Support Team (CREST) and Speedwatch volunteers from across the county, honouring the role volunteers play in helping make Derbyshire's roads safer for all.
Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "The public want to see speeding and dangerous driving tackled and reduced, they want the police force to work harder to keep their roads safe.
"That's why, as Commissioner, I have invested additional resources to help tackle the Fatal Four (speeding, drink/drug driving, lack of seatbelts and mobile phone use while driving) to enable the force to deliver a robust and well-resourced roads policing unit and to ensure proactive speed enforcement is conducted on the county's road network alongside a tougher approach to dangerous driving.
"But the Police can't resolve everything and schemes like Community Speedwatch play a valuable role in helping communities to increase their safety.
"Earlier this year, I launched my Road Safety Grant scheme offering community groups and parish and town councils the chance to bid for a share of £150k to fund new Community Speed Watch schemes amongst other schemes which included the movable Speed Indicator Devices programme, and I am pleased many organisations took up that offer.
"There are now more than 700 volunteers involved in the scheme and over 90 active groups - a significant increase on the 25 groups in place in 2019.
"It is impossible to measure the full value these dedicated volunteers bring to their communities. I know our residents are greatly appreciative of their work and commitment and the Roads Policing Unit recognise the added value they bring to their own enforcement work.
"I was proud to gratulate the volunteers on their achievements and promote opportunities for schemes to learn from one another. There are plans to build on the work of our Speedwatch schemes next year and I am looking forward to seeing that, with my ongoing support, this initiative goes from strength to strength."
The seminar included an address from Assistant Chief Constable James Abdy and Sgt Paul Moorcroft as well as a question and answer session by key speakers.
Attendees also witnessed a fire extrication display led by Simon Booth from Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and a collision investigation demonstration involving drone and laser technology.
The Seminar provided an overview of the scheme from a county-wide perspective, sharing data on the number of schemes, letters distributed and volunteers in place. The event also was aimed at sharing best practice among the various schemes and highlighting key successes.
Article by Derbyshire Police & Crime Commissioner
More News From Amber Valley Info
Amber Valley Borough Council awarded funding for long awaited skatepark SKATE fans are set to benefit from a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation of Government funding, whic read more | |
Amber Valley Borough Council awarded funding to revamp football facilities HUNDREDS of soccer fans are set to benefit from fresh investment into local football facilities. Amber Val read more | |
Derbyshire Adult Education Rated Good By Ofsted Government inspectors have praised Derbyshire County Council's Adult Community Education Service (DACES) for their dedicated support read more | |
Council has £160,000 in grants for groups to make a difference GRANTS of up to 10,000 are up for grabs for community organisations to help make a big difference in supporting read more | |
Chatsworth opens for new season with design led exhibition adding to 500 years of creativity Chatsworth has always been a centre for creativity, with successive generations of the C read more | |
The Amber Valley Info Noticeboard
The Social Hub @ JGFC - Daytime Social Group The Social Hub @ JGFC is a daytime social group for adults with learning disabilities. One of our 3 Hubs is based in the Amber Valley ar read more | |
Derbyshire Time Swap Give time, get time, make a difference read more | |
Do you need help getting to certain routine health appointments, there is help available! If you need help getting to certain routine health appointments, then there is FREE transpo read more | |
You Now Need Photo ID To Vote At A Polling Station Elections are taking place across England on the 4 May. Youll need to bring photo ID to vote at a polling station. Check if your I read more | |
Belper Warm Welcome and Information Hub at Belper Leisure Centre Belper Warm Welcome and Information Hub at Belper Leisure Centre. Monday to Friday 4 - 7 pm until 31st March 2023. P read more | |