AA calls for extra ‘cops in cars’ to sort out crime drivers ‘get away with’ | UK | News | EUROtoday

The AA is urging the Home Secretary to recruit an extra 1,000 roads cops to boost highway security and fight broader crime on our highways and inside our communities.

In their manifesto, Labour promised to rent 1000’s of recent cops to handle native crime. The AA proposes that 1,000 of those recent recruits ought to be assigned to the highway site visitors division of forces nationwide.

This enchantment, a element of The AA’s personal Motoring Manifesto, comes within the wake of AA scrutiny of the latest police workforce statistics revealed by the Home Office. As of 31 March 2024, there have been 4,215 site visitors officers in England and Wales, a lower of 1,022 officers from the height on 31 March 2016 (5,237).

At first look, hiring extra site visitors officers would increase the visibility of police on the roads. In a survey of 11,469 drivers performed final month, over half (57%) felt that drivers might evade punishment for reckless driving attributable to a shortage of police on the roads.

Similarly, over two fifths of drivers claimed offences comparable to utilizing a handheld telephone whereas driving (44%), drug driving (42%), not carrying a seatbelt (46%) and working a harmful automobile (43%) had been going unpunished attributable to a diminished police presence.

Road security campaigners are celebrating as new AI cameras able to catching drivers committing quite a lot of offences, together with extra than simply rushing, have been deployed. But in line with a current survey, solely a paltry 15% of motorists suppose that cameras can shoulder the load of roads policing by themselves, underlining the pressing want for extra boots on the bottom.

The report additionally sheds mild on public sentiment concerning legislation enforcement past site visitors violations. A staggering 9 in ten individuals (91%) consider that growing the variety of site visitors officers would make communities really feel safer, whereas eight in ten are satisfied {that a} rise in roads policing would drive down numerous crimes comparable to drug dealing, human trafficking, and automobile theft.

Jack Cousens, head of roads coverage for The AA, commented, “Be it driving offences or wider crime, public opinion suggests that too many people are simply getting away with it. It’s clear that the public want to see more bobbies on the beat, so the government’s ambition to increase the number of police officers is welcome.

“We consider there ought to be a wider strategy to tackling crime and that extra cops in vehicles might produce safer communities in addition to safer roads. A transparent and visual presence is a deterrent itself to make sure higher requirements of driving, in addition to sending a warning sign to criminals that the possibilities of being caught are larger than earlier than.

“Most traffic cops catch other crimes in the act, such as discovering stolen goods, through routine stops. Similarly a camera can spot the speeding driver, but it can’t stop them if they are under the influence of drink or drugs. Investment in traffic officers does more than improve road safety, it produces safer neighbourhoods too.”