Discussion with police re 20mph enforcement 12.04.17

[richard attwood]

Following on from a recent incident where a chap was told by a traffic cop that the 20mph area they were in was not enforceable, and Cllr Iqbal publishing his 'no enforcement' letter in the Telegraph, I have had a few emails with helpful police staff, ending with yesterdays discussion with Craig Clifton:

Craig Clifton

T/Chief Inspector

Joint Specialist Operations (Uniformed) for South Yorkshire Police & Humberside Police
Head of SYP Specialist Support Teams & Tactical Lead Roads Policing for South Yorkshire

- He clearly knew that Sheffields 20 limits certainly are enforceable, and said that officers should be aware of the ACPO sanction option  guidelines.
He said he will ensure this is clarified with officers.
There was some initial doubt for officers early on when, unlike other limits, there was no NDORS Speed awareness course option for 20mph, only fines/points - this is now remedied (in the SW of UK as far as I can see - I will check that with him)

- As far as enforcement goes, he is not aware of any special arrangement with the council or anyone else regarding 20mph limits - their (or rather the S Yorks Road Safety Partnership's) policy is one of responding to speeding concerns re specific locations, which would in any event then be initially monitored with speed recording devices prior to any decision on using cameras etc.
So in effect the S Yorks policy is to enforce ANY and ALL speed limits where there is an issue (ie people calling 101 and reporting speed concerns re a location, which would incl 20, however currently this is a responsive approach, not proactive.)

Really this underlines that the Police and SC are coming at 20  from opposite viewpoints/policies: The police are currently only set up to deal with specific problem locations and Insp Clifton says there is no provision/planning to work with SCC to raise awateness/aid compliance as and when limits are put in, as recommended by 20splenty.

This approach simply doesn't fit with SCC's wide area/neighbourhood speed limit approach, which I explained to him is really about making people intensive areas of Sheffield safe/pleasant/healthy and people more confident to walk and cycle, rather than tackling specific issues/locations.

See West Midlands Police for example of more proactive 20 enforcement, with both them and the Council  publicising 20, working with schools etc: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/birminghams-new-20mph-speed-limits-11995562

However, Insp Clifton was keen to mention the option of  COMMUNITY SPEEDWATCH (CS): https://www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk/ as possibly bridging this gap between current SYP policy, SCC aspirations and residents concerns.

SYP are one of the forces that have decided to support the nationwide CS initiative, where trained locals, supported by Neighbourhood policing Team, report speeding drivers to the Road Safety Partnership, who then write to the driver. Persistent offenders are prosecuted.  (Not all forces do)

He would be happy to speak to interested groups and arrange/deliver training to any groups wishing to do this.

It occurs to me that this option might be of interest to local Forums, members of whom may have a particular interest in a location on their patch, such as a school route or shopping area, which would be perceived to have clear public justification in the ensuing press coverage.......

What do others think?

Insp Clifton had not heard of 20splenty so I will be sending him info.

Richard