Northumbria Police

Community Speed Watch

Northumbria Police is piloting the force's first Community Speed Watch in Northumberland.

Rothbury residents will get the first opportunity to try out the new scheme aimed at making the roads safer.

Community Speed Watch is a partnership between police and the Safer Northumberland Partnership which enables local people to help reduce traffic speeds and improve the quality of life in their community.

Volunteers are given training, support and specialist equipment to monitor the speed of cars in their community.

Anybody found speeding will then receive a police and community letter, letting them know that people in the area won’t tolerate speeding.

Questions you may have:

How does Speed Watch work?

Community Speed Watch aims to make motorists aware that the community won’t tolerate speeding. It’s about taking positive action, with local people working together to improve the safety and quality of life for everyone in the area.

Volunteers will set up the watch in a designated spot, using measuring equipment to record the speed of passing vehicles. Details will be noted of any vehicles found to be speeding.

Working with the local neighbourhood policing team, a letter is then sent to motorists about their speeding. If the same driver is identified as speeding in the area a number of times then officers will make contact with the driver and action may be taken.

Do other areas use Speed Watch?

Other police forces have tried and adopted the scheme after successful pilot schemes, including Durham, Thames Valley, Leicestershire and Norfolk.

This is the first time the scheme has been used in the Northumbria Police area. 

Why is Northumbria introducing Speed Watch?

Speeding is a concern for many people, especially in the popular towns and villages of Northumberland. Speed Watch is one way of helping to address this concern.

The main objectives are to reduce speed to prevent collisions, improve the quality of life for people in the area, reduce noise pollution and to raise public awareness of inappropriate speed.

 


Why are you getting help from volunteers?

Community Speed Watch is just one way of addressing resident’s concerns about speeding in their area. By enabling local volunteers to monitor speeds, they’re able to take some responsibility for helping improve life in their community.

The neighbourhood policing team works closely with volunteers to help them do this, and the help from volunteers also means officers have more time to work on other initiatives.

It’s important that the letters motorists receive come from the community as well as the police – it shows that local people won’t tolerate speeding in their towns and villages

Who can be a Speed Watch volunteer?

The Community Speed Watch scheme is being piloted by Neighbourhood Police Volunteers in Rothbury, who have been fully trained to carry out the activity.

To find out more about Community Speed Watch, contact your local neighbourhood policing team on 03456 043 043 extension 69191 or email the Alnwick Neighbourhood Team.

What action will be taken against people found speeding?

A police and community letter will be sent out to anybody recorded speeding.

If a driver is found to be speeding a number of times, police officers will visit the driver and further action may be taken.