On The Beat: Speed cameras and meet the team

This month I would like to discuss one of the force’s current campaigns and one of our own.

West Yorkshire Police has launched its new deployment strategy for road safety cameras. The West Yorkshire Police Camera Enforcement Unit deploys mobile and fixed speed cameras, as well as red-light safety cameras to make our roads safer. In 2022, 65 people were killed and over 5,000 injured on the roads of West Yorkshire. Many of these collisions were preventable.

Excessive or inappropriate speed is one of the most common factors in serious injury collisions. South Leeds is no different in this respect and has had a number of serious and fatal collisions.

The way safety cameras are being deployed in the county is changing as a result. Cameras will continue to be deployed to high risk areas with a history of fatal or serious injury collisions. Mobile cameras may be deployed at areas of concern, but significantly, before serious collisions have occurred.

High visibility enforcement will continue; however, some sites may be enforced without signage being present. This is intended to encourage safe speed across Leeds South and the rest of the city and force area. Speed limit signs will still be displayed where legally required to do so. The use of average speed technology will be expanded as part of this scheme. This is a really positive step towards safer driving standards across South Leeds and beyond.

On Wednesday 12 April, your Neighbourhood Policing Team will be present at the White Rose Shopping Centre, staffing a number of community engagement stands. Officers and PCSOs will be present to engage with members of the public around a variety of issues and concerns.

Members of the West Yorkshire Police Positive Action Team will be present to field questions and queries around a career in policing, how to join and any other questions you may have around police recruitment. Members of your Neighbourhood Policing Team will also be available to discuss local issues and concerns.

We will also be making available our mini-uniforms for children who can try on hats, helmets, jackets and harnesses, as well as trying out some riot shields. We also hope to have colleagues from our Crime Scene Investigation department, who can introduce children to some of their scientific techniques used to catch criminals.

This promises to be a fun, interactive and informative opportunity to engage with some of your local Neighbourhood Police Team and I hope that you get the opportunity to come and engage with us.

Earlier this month I was proud to have attended the force training centre at Carr Gate to represent Leeds District at the Force Citizens in Policing Awards. These awards honoured Special Constables, Volunteers and Police Cadets who give their time to support Policing and by extension the wider local community.

There were some really inspiring stories of hundreds of hours of time being given by individuals and teams. I was proud to see that the Leeds South Cadet Leaders were runners up in Team of the Year, which was a fantastic achievement by some dedicated and passionate young people.

Policing is broader than the Officers and PCSOs that make up the bulk of our numbers. Special constables, Staff Volunteers and Cadets all have a really important part to play in the delivery of policing to communities. If you would like to volunteer in some capacity, or would like to find out more about the available opportunities, more information can be found at; www.westyorkshire.police.uk/jobs-volunteer.

 

This post was written by Inspector Tom Perry of the Leeds South Community Policing Team

 

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