What is Community Speedwatch:

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the Police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices. 

Vehicles exceeding the speed limit are referred to the Police with the aim of educating drivers to reduce their speeds. In cases where education is blatantly ignored and evidence of repeat or excessive offences is collated (even across county borders), enforcement and prosecution follow.

CSW Online is working on behalf of the Police and communities to organise and coordinate CSW activity. Speeding is not just a local phenomenon - neither is Speedwatch. 

Speeding continues to be a concern for many communities in both rural and urban environments. Therefore, Community Speedwatch is not restricted to villages and rural towns.

Neighbourhood Policing Panels have an important role to play in developing safer urban communities and the adoption of speedwatch schemes could assist them to more easily achieve their goals. 

Why do we do it:

• Reduce death and injury on the roads
• Improve the quality of life for our local community
• Reduce the speed of vehicles to the speed limit
• Increase public awareness of inappropriate speed

Speedwatch activity is not about interfering with neighbours' behaviour; it is a proactive solution to improve the safety and quality of life for everyone in the community.   If drivers stick to the speed limits then they have nothing to worry about. We do not want pedestrians, animals etc. hurt and in Staple there are poor footpaths, narrow roads and many cyclists and horses ~ maybe just around the corner. Additionally there are large slower moving tractors along our narrow roads and these are pretty solid.

How does it operate:

All operators are volunteers who give up their time to help the community.

We are all trained to a Police standard and need to pass tests to ensure we are safe to operate a Speedwatch session. This standard then allows the Police to insure us.

We go in teams of usually three people into the village at random times and to random approved locations with a calibrated Speed indicator device. We will then log drivers who exceed the speed limit plus 10% plus 2 mph which is 35 mph.

This information is then uploaded into the Community Watch nationwide system which is interconnected to the Police and speeding vehicles are checked for Tax and MOT.

We only operate during daylight hours and when it is not raining ~ this is for safety reasons.

Where do we operate:

Many of you will have seen us in our Hi-Viz jackets at the roadside in Lower Road, Durlock Road and The Street at various times of the day. These sites are approved by the Police and have space to move off the roadside and be safe but enable us to see vehicles easily.

Relationship with Kent Police:

Notification of speeding notices

We operate closely with Kent Police as part of the nationwide Speedwatch organisation.

The Police and Kent CC share the cost of the equipment and ensure we maintain the necessary standards. Anyone who is logged speeding in Staple automatically goes into the Speedwatch system and if caught speeding in Surrey or Essex will accumulate notifications.

Operators are not directly allowed to fine speeding vehicles but the Speedwatch system will 

• In response to volunteers’ roadside observations, Kent Police will send a letter of advice to the vehicle’s registered owner using the following criteria:

• A second and each subsequent detection at any Speed Watch scheme in the county/ neighbouring county if on the CSW online within the previous 12 months for speeds between 35 to 44-mph in a 30-mph limit  Where practicable, a vehicle owner will have the fourth (and all subsequent) advice letter hand-delivered by a uniformed Police Officer, Special Constable or a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO).  Any subsequent observations will then be passed for tasking to officers from Kent Police who will actively patrol the areas to deal suitably with the repetitive offending. 

• Speeds detected that are 50% or more above the limit ( 45-mph and above in a 30-mph limit ) are considered ‘high-end’. These will receive more strongly-worded letters of advice on the first and all subsequent detections. Where practicable, a vehicle owner will have the fifth (and all subsequent) advice letter hand-delivered by a uniformed Police Officer, Police Special or PCSO. Where practicable, a vehicle owner will have the third advice letter or, if the observation is 80% or more above the limit, the letter will  be hand-delivered by a uniformed Police Officer, Special Constable or Police Community Support Officer (PCSO). Subsequent observations will result in active patrolling to detect further speed offences

Volunteering:

We currently have 10 volunteers.

We currently share the equipment with Stourmouth so operate every other week.

We would like more volunteers which would mean that you would only need to spend maybe 2 hours per month as an operator.

There are two stages of training ~ one is completed on line followed by a short session doing on site training

.

You can contact Roger Loukes or the online web site for further information.

roger@stapleparishcouncil.co.uk

Web site:  https://www.communityspeedwatch.org/FRONT-Main.php?m=0