Police looking for speed-gun volunteers

The word has gone out to members of the local Neighbourhood Watch that North Wales Police are looking for volunteers to help deter speeding motorists across the region.

Launched in time for National Road Safety Week, Community Speed Watch aims to educate drivers about the dangers of speeding, whilst addressing concerns of local residents about cars speeding through their neighbourhoods.

The initiative is a partnership approach between the community, the police and the local authorities which is already running successfully in other police force areas.

“Community Speed Watch gives local people the ability to actively get involved in road safety. It can be set up in any village, small town, or urban area, governed by either a 20, 30 or 40 miles per hour speed limit,” said Sergeant John Roberts from GoSafe, the Wales Road Casualty Reduction Partnership.

“Motorists who speed through residential neighbourhoods are very often unaware of the impact their actions have on local residents, or the danger they pose to other road users and pedestrians and this is something we are working with communities to address.”

Full training will be given and volunteers on the scheme will visit known speeding hotspots within their own communities and will use hand-held speed guns to capture the speeds of oncoming vehicles.

Details of those vehicles will be collated and relayed back to North Wales Police, who then issue a letter to the owners warning them that they have been spotted.

Persistent offenders will receive up to two warning letters, and on a third occasion, offenders can expect further action by police.

Sgt Roberts added: “We are looking for local residents, who are willing to volunteer a small amount of time each week to monitor speeds with speed detection equipment.

“If you have good communication and interpersonal skills then we’d love to hear from you. Equally you will also benefit by gaining experience of liaising with a variety of individuals and you’ll have a raised awareness and insight into the work of the police.

“Our aim is to spread the message that our community simply won’t stand for speeding motorists and hopefully, together, we can bring down the average speed of cars on our roads.”

* For more details,  contact the North Wales Police Recruitment Department via 01492 804699, or e-mail CSW@nthwales.pnn.police.uk.

Further information including the application form and post profile is available via the North Wales Police website www.north-wales.police.uk