Sussex Police. Community Speed Watch – Speed Indication Devices. (SIDs)
Explanation and guidelines. Risk assessment also required.
Introduction
Community Speed Watch (CSW) is a locally driven initiative where active members of the community join together with the support of the Police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed indication. The aim is to educate motorists to reduce their speeds in future. Volunteers receive appropriate training, and are supported by neighbourhood policing team (NPT) staff.
Recent citizen-focused surveys established speeding as a major concern for many communities in both the rural and urban environment. Therefore, Community Speed Watch is not restricted to villages and rural towns. Local Action Teams have an important role to play in developing safer urban communities and the adoption of speed watch schemes could assist them to more easily achieve their goals.
Aims and Objectives
These Guidelines are a practical component of the Sussex Police Speed Management Policy and aims to cater for the problem of real or perceived speed related offending, through partnership with the community. It is to be used in circumstances that are necessary, reasonable and proportionate in order to:
• Reduce death and injury on the roads
• Improve the quality of life for local communities
• Reduce the speed of vehicles to the speed limit
• Increase public awareness of inappropriate speed
Initiating a Community Speed Watch Scheme
It is likely Community Speed Watch will be initiated either as a result of a number of speeding complaints being received in an area or as a direct result of a Parish Council or Local Action Team wishing to participate in the scheme.
When a speeding complaint is received by Sussex Police from whatever source, it will be assessed and categorised by the Road Policing Department, in accordance with the Speed Management Policy. If it is identified as a low priority or non-graded site, it will be passed to the local NPT Inspector for appropriate action by the Neighbourhood Specialist Team (NST). The team, with direct participation of the Parish Council or LAT, may consider the site is suitable for Community Speed Watch.
Where a Parish Council or LAT would like to establish a scheme as a result of local interest, it is necessary that they contact their local NPT Inspector so that a partnership scheme can be considered and assessed. In both cases the NPT Inspector and chair of the respective Parish Council or LAT will need to be satisfied that the scheme has the support of the Parish Council or in the case of a LAT, the local District Council and the operational guidelines are met and funding arrangements are available.
Qualification and Set-up Guidelines
1. There should be a minimum number of six volunteers in the scheme. On road safety grounds, volunteers must be over 18 years of age. The scheme is to have a designated coordinator and deputy, responsible for the local administration of the scheme, equipment and liaison with the police. The Parish or District Council must support the scheme in writing and there should be a firm commitment by the majority of the local community to the scheme to observe the speed limit themselves at all times (see point 5 below).
2. The local NPT Inspector will be responsible for authorising and managing schemes within their area following the correct categorisation of the site within the Speed Management Policy framework. A liaison officer will be appointed to liaise directly with the designated coordinator and arranging the delivery and collection of devices, recording sheets for processing and providing ongoing support.
3. The essence of the scheme is to slow down the speed of traffic by the presence of highly visible trained volunteers. No details will be recorded of vehicles exceeding the speed limit and no advisory letters will be forwarded to registered keepers. (To do so will infringe the permissions granted by the Department for Transport for the use of these devices on the highway)
4. NST staff can reinforce Community Speed Watch activity by undertaking static speed enforcement at a CSW site only when volunteer monitoring is not taking place.
5. There is an expectation that communities wishing to be involved in Community Speed Watch will sign up to the ‘Make the Commitment’ scheme. This is a road safety initiative sponsored by East and West Sussex County Councils and Brighton & Hove City Council, Road Safety Department’s where the local community undertakes to observe the speed limit.
6. The guidance concerning site determination will be applied
• The advice contained in the Sussex Safety Camera Partnerships best practice guidelines in the use of SID will be applied, this is very important where junctions are located in the vicinity of the device
• Whilst every effort will be made to operate SID at sites identified by the community, SIDs can only be deployed at sites authorised by Sussex Police and the local Highway Authority
• Each site will be subject to a written site specific risk assessment, kept in an electronic format. All operators must be aware of such risk assessments and comply with the control measures or operating restrictions when deployed at a site
• SIDs will not be operated during the hours of darkness or reduced visibility
• Each SID will be freestanding and volunteers will be present throughout its operation. The Highway Authority will not authorise the use of SID if left unattended or mounted on street furniture
• Volunteers will be trained by the police; records will be maintained as outlined in the CSW Guidelines to ensure volunteers are properly insured. A deployment programme will be circulated on a weekly/monthly basis to the local Highway Manager at WSCC Western Area Office at Drayton email highways.western@westsussex.gov.uk
• Monitoring will only take place on roads with posted speed limits of 30 m.p.h. and 40 m.p.h.
• Devices will NOT be used within 50m of any junction.
Safety – A Code of Conduct
The safety of all road users is paramount, and the following safety rules must be adhered to:
• High conspicuity jackets must be worn at all times
• Volunteers must only operate in the area that has been risked assessed
• Volunteers must not stand in the road at any time
• Volunteers must not obstruct the footway
• The device must be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
• Volunteers must not attempt to conceal their speed monitoring activities from passing motorists
• Monitoring to be undertaken by a minimum of two volunteers at any one time
• It is strongly recommended that at least one volunteer be in possession of a mobile phone
• Monitoring only should take place. Do not signal or gesture to drivers
• Drivers who stop to enquire your purpose should be treated politely and courteously, and if not satisfied with an explanation of the scheme should be given the contact details of your police liaison officer. If a confrontation occurs, abandon the monitoring and if necessary call the police by dialling 999
Insurance Cover
Third Party Liability Cover:
This, broadly speaking, protects the Authority in relation to claims against it as a result of the actions of the Community Speed Watch Volunteers. However, the policy carries an excess of £250,000, payable by Sussex Police for each and every claim, so this in effect, is catastrophe cover only.
Personal Accident Cover:
This protects the interests of the volunteers themselves, against injury etc. They are insured as volunteers under the Sussex Police policy. In terms of premium, as they are covered as volunteers, there is no additional cost to the Force or participating organisation.
In order for cover to be valid both our Liability and Personal Accident insurers have stipulated that there must be a logging system for CSW volunteers. The CSW Coordinator will maintain and retain:
1. A list of Volunteers for the CSW scheme
2. A register of actual attendees including the start and finish times and date of each duty.
3. Training records
4. A system of periodic checking to ensure that untrained volunteers are not being used for this scheme.