Roads Policing Conference: Roads policing officers are under real pressure and need more support

30 September 2021

Operational roads policing officers are under real pressure and need more support, the Police Federation of England and Wales’ Roads Policing Conference has heard.

Ch Insp Michael Hodder, from Surrey Police, told the conference that roads policing officers’ role is not often recognised as a core policing function and they lack investigative support.

He told delegates: “Operational roads policing officers are really under pressure but if a death happens on the roads it’s not considered in the wider scheme of things.

“Roads policing officers don’t get the support for what they do to protect the public. The challenges they’ve got are the same as every other officer and it’s the lack of support.

“We’re very fortunate in Surrey and Sussex that both of our PCCs are huge supporters of roads policing and road safety.

“In some forces senior officers don’t see roads police as dealing with crime. But we deal with all sorts of crime – OCGs, drink drivers, disqualified drivers, and then dealing with fatalities.

“The challenges are massive but their core role is not always recognised as a core policing function.

“Investment in roads policing is paramount. Roads policing officers really come across all factions of crime. We will deal with it but there’s no investigative support.

“We want to get it right for the public and there should be investment in investigations for road policing – the crime aspect of the fantastic work that roads police officers do across the country.”