PCC visits Community Speed Watch group

Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Evison visited the Community Speed Watch team in New Ellerby in the East Riding of Yorkshire this week. The village is one of 44 locations across the Humber region now taking part in the scheme. Community Speed Watch allows residents to become police-trained volunteers monitoring vehicle speeds in their communities with the aim of changing the behaviour of some road users who drive above the speed limit through small towns and villages.

Similar projects have been in place up and down the country for some years so we already know what works well and not so well and have developed our own scheme accordingly. It relies on volunteers coming forward who want to make a difference in their area and the Speed Watch coordinator from Humberside Police will train them, provide equipment and work with them to make their community safer and stronger for everyone living there.

In one hour during Jonathan’s visit, 150 cars passed through the village of New Ellerby, five of which were driving above the speed limit. Under the Speed Watch scheme, vehicle details are passed to the police and the registered keepers receive a letter of advice asking them to consider their speed in future. If repeated incidents of speeding are detected the driver will receive a home visit by Humberside Police.

Jonathan Evison said “I continually hear from communities about problems with speeding, particularly in rural towns and villages. Community Speed Watch is a really positive scheme that allows residents to help stop speeding in their area. It’s not a substitute for police speed enforcement, it is designed to educate drivers and encourage them to slow down to an appropriate speed. The volunteers we spoke to told me that since they started, the number of speeding motorists detected through the village has halved which is great news. I would encourage anyone who has some spare time to volunteer and set up a scheme in their area.”

Community Speed Watch was launched in 2019 and is available for Town and Parish Councils throughout the Humberside Police force area to join, subject to certain criteria.

To find out more information and to start your own Speed Watch Group click here