A day of action under Operation Harness was successfully carried out across Swindon and Wiltshire on Tuesday 20th January, with the aim to raise speed awareness and educate drivers about road safety.
The operation involved over 170 Community Speed Watch (CSW) volunteers and 50 Wiltshire Police officers who carried out roadside checks throughout the day.
Wiltshire Police Roads Policing Unit (RPU) and Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT) worked in partnership with CSW to identify drivers that were speeding on Wiltshire and Swindon roads.
As a result of the operation, 208 vehicles were identified as speeding, 147 vehicles were stopped with 132 drivers given warnings about their speed.
Direct results of the day of action on 20th January:
• Eight drivers were given warnings for having defective lights on their vehicles • One driver had a road side alcohol breath test – negative result • One driver received a warning for not wearing a seatbelt • One driver received a warning for have a defective number plate • Four drivers had no further action after being stopped • 70 letters from Community Speed Watch have been sent out.
Chief Constable Pat Geenty said, “This day of action highlights the key partnership working between CSW and Wiltshire Police.
“Many reactions to the day’s visibility out on the roads have been positive with drivers listening to the advice given by our officers and many people giving us a wave as they drove by. I think the day of action has definitely made drivers think twice about their speed.”
Speeding is one of the ‘fatal four’ factors that can cause road traffic collisions. The others are drink/drugs, driving while on a mobile phone and not wearing seatbelts.
Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, Angus Macpherson said, “Community Speed Watch is about local volunteers driving down speed and driving up safety. They are getting involved with local policing matters and showing that speeding will not be tolerated in their area.
“The teams I met on this day of action were enthusiastic and dedicated to their watch scheme and it was great to see them work collaboratively with Wiltshire Police out on the roads.”
Operation Harness is a long-term collaborative project tackling issues which matter most to our communities. It involves all police officers and staff over a number of organised days of action throughout the year.
Operation Harness is really about Wiltshire Police listening to the concerns of our local communities and acting on these in a visible way.
More information on Community Speed Watch can be found on the website at www.wiltshire.police.uk or find them on Facebook and ‘like’ them: www.facebook.com/WiltsCSW
