Roads Policing Conference: Police service needs to shout louder about the value of roads policing

30 September 2021

The police service needs to shout louder about the value of roads policing and the positive effect it can have on society, the NPCC Lead for Roads Policing has said.

Chief Constable Jo Shiner made the comments at a session on the future of roads policing at the Police Federation of England and Wales’ virtual Roads Policing conference.

Taking part in a panel discussion on investment in the specialist sector, CC Shiner said the service must make a “strong business” case for more money to be put into roads policing.

She said: “I don’t think we shout about the value of roads polcing enough or demonstrate its value and the difference it can make.

“One of the strands of work is to bring together that information and real life stories so we can influence that not just with Government but also with PCCs.”

CC Shiner was keen to emphasise that more investment was needed in support structures for roads policing officers – including ensuring they have enough time to complete complex investigations.

She explained: “Sometimes we look at roads policing, we look at the activity that’s done on the roads and we think it ends there.

“But if we want to have proper results, if we want to take criminals off the streets, if we want to make sure we’re challenging those who continually drive while disqualified or drive under the influence, we’ve got to make sure that we’re also putting the resources in to be able to do those crime files, to be able to do the disclosure, to do all those things that we know take officers hours to complete and are increasingly complex.

“So it’s as much support behind the roads policing infrastructure as it is the visibility on the roads.”