Rise in road deaths in Devon and Cornwall blamed on traffic policing shake-up
THE number of people killed on the roads of Devon and Cornwall has risen for the first time in seven years after dedicated traffic officers were axed because of budget cuts.
Fatal accidents reached a modern-day low in 2011 when 42 people died in fatal collisions in the two counties. It continued a year-on-year fall in road deaths since 2005 when 100 people were killed.
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But the downward trend has been reversed with 50 deaths in crashes already this year, with winter months yet to come.
It follows the decision by Devon and Cornwall Police, in May 2010, to axe its dedicated traffic officers as part of a new operating model designed to cope with four-year, £50 million budget cuts and the loss of hundreds of personnel.
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Traffic officers have been integrated into the "response" department to deal with 999 calls.
At the time of the reorganisation, concerns were raised by some senior officers as well as the Police Federation, a staff association for constables, sergeants and inspectors.
Sergeant Nigel Rabbitts, chairman of the Federation in Devon and Cornwall, said he was "not surprised" by the increase.
"I do think there's a correlation between the two," he said, "because there is very little enforcement going on. It is too much of a coincidence and that is what our members are telling us.
"The first responsibility of response officers is to answer those urgent calls to assist the public, and rightly so. Roads policing is a secondary tasking and they just don't have the time to do it."
Devon and Cornwall Police has said it has no plans to re-instate its traffic department albeit with fewer officers, despite strong and long-running rumours to the contrary.
Roads deaths in the region have fallen significantly over the last decade from a high of 109 in 2002. The last increase was from 2004, when there were 86 fatalities, to 2005 when there were 100.
Assistant Chief Constable Paul Netherton said there was no pattern to indicate either specific problems with driving standards or issues at particularly locations.
He stressed that the numbers remained "low" and that the roads of Devon and Cornwall were rated as the safest in the country.
"We are still on the roads, we are still out there, and are encouraging all our response officers to take a proactive approach and running operations on different subjects on different dates," he said.
Comments
by BS_Hater
Friday, October 26 2012, 12:18PM
“50 DEATHS THIS YEAR SO FAR....So we dont actually know if the figure will be bigger this year then?
Also I am guessing that the traffic officers compile these figures? Quite convenient to see a rise if you want your mates to get their jobs back.
Real issue is revenues falling from petty fining and harrasment I think..”
by bikerlad707
Friday, October 26 2012, 6:17AM
“75% of driving accidents are coused by people on them bluddy mob phones,
when ever i see a car all over the road its some one on the bluddy phone & yet do you see the police sat in there cars unmarked or not , no you dont its all about speeding .
i ride motorcycles and do drive a car as well , so why is it so many drivers are still useing the phones while driving only yesterday a car in front of me while on the phone did not even see a car comming from his right nearly hit the other car , so think on all of you .
we cause accidents they dont just happen, yes we , to many drivers !! drive like zombies”
by swshaun
Thursday, October 25 2012, 11:42PM
“Theres also been a lack of a sunshine so far this year. Theres been lots of rain this year. Chris Moyles left radio one this year, you think this had an impact? What a massive non story. Driving standards are dropping. Simple as. Just drive in rush hour to find out.”
by blondemum
Thursday, October 25 2012, 1:25PM
“how are the police responsible for road deaths?
Surely this headline should read "Rise in road deaths due to drivers not paying attention/speeding/using phones/ignoring road rules and laws" - but that's not as catchy, or controversial as the one used is it? Once again, Herald, why let the truth get in the way of a story?”
by sonofmeldrew
Thursday, October 25 2012, 12:32PM
“The black rats! A description they are well known as, even among other police officers.
They arrive on the scene after an RTA has already happened-- not prior to one. So I don't understand this article.
They never really provided any useful visual speeding deterrent when there were more of them skulking about did they? Just like their namesake real rats, they were most often not seen.
Hiding away just out of sight looking for grubs and nesting material whilst clutching their pen*s envy speed guns just waiting in eager anticipation at gaining yet another revenue notch on their dashboards.
They loved racing about in unmarked cars too, so how is a traffic officer in an unmarked car any kind of visual deterrent?
Those vosa cars seem to be all over the place now, at least they are visible and do tend to slow people down, unlike the black rats you can see them a mile off.
As another poster has already said, there is no apparent link here. Steadily Improving Car safety was certainly a reason for the drop in fatalities over the time frame in the article, things like side impact protection and improved air bags, the rise in seatbelt use etc.
If the numbers of fatalities are going up again around Plymouth, it is probably because people can't afford these fancy new cars anymore. I don't see the traffic police correlation here at all. I see zero traffic police yet zero difference in driver attitudes.”
by Plymptonboy
Thursday, October 25 2012, 12:04PM
“And yet People still dig at the police, fingers crossed its not one one your loved ones that gets killed next !
Just the presence of a trafic units on the motorway has the slowing effect and sometimes that all that needed as people drive to fast ...Simple, fatal collisions don't uasuly happen all on their own theres always a contributing factor.
But it seems people have become aware at the lack of traffic officers on the highways and that given them to all ok to drive like muppets. Thats not the police's fault its the drivers and all to often these muppets take out inacent people.”
by Waltersmith
Thursday, October 25 2012, 11:30AM
“There is no link.”
by Kwacker10R
Thursday, October 25 2012, 10:58AM
“I'd just like to say that i'm pleasantly surprised thatt no wimmen have crashed their cars this week. It must be a first in the annals of the South Wests driving history!”
by nothalf
Thursday, October 25 2012, 10:45AM
“who and what, you cant just say its because the Police aren't there or that has any significance”
by Hearald
Thursday, October 25 2012, 10:31AM
“all they used to do is park up somewhere for a while then drive around for a bit and maybe catch someone doing 55MPH on a road that use to be 60MPH of cause their upset, now they have to work, they didn't and couldn't stop accidents happening”