Yes this is a Goverment speech
Discussion
Speech by transport minister Derek Twigg to the Police Federation concerning the police's importance, drink driving, anti-social behaviour, resources and technology. Delivered: 17 November 2005.
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen.
There aren't too many public servants - and by that I mean anyone who's employed by the state in whatever role - who has a more direct influence on people's lives and well-being than you.
I want to put on record both my own and the Government's appreciation of the excellent job you do.
We all depend on you being out there, every day, every night, making sure our roads are policed properly.
But sometime we don't realise just how much we depend on you.
Every time you stop a driver who's been drinking, or a young lad who's speeding dangerously, we all benefit.
For you, these are everyday occurrences, done with the minimum of fuss, dealt with quickly and efficiently.
But who knows what might have happened if you hadn't been there? If you hadn't maintained control?
In such instances, your influence is immeasurable.
In other situations, it takes nothing more than your physical presence at the side of a road to make the difference.
So motorists think twice about driving at 70mph in a 50mph zone:
about carrying on a mobile phone conversation without a hands-free kit,
about driving around with no insurance.
Your presence is fundamental to making our roads safer.
Whatever the situation, the importance of your work has never been greater.
Roads are the arteries of our communities and our economy - linking homes, places of work and business, shops, schools and hospitals, and public services.
They offer freedom of movement, opportunities, and accessibility. They improve the quality of our lives.
But they're also busy and potentially hazardous.
In 2003, the overall cost of road accidents to the UK economy was around £18 billion - including lost output, physical damage, medical and police costs. And who can put a figure on the non-financial cost?
That's why we need to maintain a strong, professional roads police force, with a visible presence out on the networks, well supported by back-up systems and effective technology.
Similar objectives for different organisations
Earlier this year, the Department for Transport, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and the Home Office announced a set of common road policing objectives for the future.
At the heart of the strategy was a focus on working together to make best use of police time and police strengths, and for central Government to support road policing in the most effective way possible.
The common objectives were:
to reduce road casualties and improve road safety,
to enhance public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads,
to deny criminals the use of the road by enforcing the law, and to tackle the threat of terrorism, and
to deal with bad driving and anti-social behaviour which contributes to avoidable road deaths and injury. This behaviour includes drink and drug driving, excessive and inappropriate speeding, and failure to wear seat belts.
Road safety
At the top of all our priorities is road safety.
It's an area where this country has a reputation for high standards and professionalism.
After all, we have one of the safest road networks in the world. We're getting better at managing traffic safety - thanks to new initiatives like varying speed limits, better communication technologies, and improved traffic control systems.
But nine people a day still die on the roads.
31,000 serious injuries every year.
There is absolutely no room for complacency. The roads network remains a dangerous place, particularly for children.
And, in fact, if you look behind the headline figures, and there are worrying trends: road rage, drug-driving, illegal use of the roads, and a completely unacceptable rise in deaths caused by drink-driving.
Drink driving
We must not ignore, or dismiss this rise. We must work together to bring it down.
You know the type of person we are talking about:
male,
in his 20s or 30s,
someone who resists all the warnings and all the dangers,
doesn't think he'll get caught,
says he can drive perfectly safely after five pints.
But I fear that we're facing another tough challenge from a younger age group. Some youngsters don't see drink-driving in the same way that you and I see it. They think it's acceptable behaviour.
I fear there's not the same peer-pressure for young drivers to be responsible about alcohol that there was in the 1980s.
That has to change.
The central message that drink-driving is not acceptable is something we have to drum home tirelessly. It kills and maims. It ruins lives - and not just the lives of the victims, but also the lives of the perpetrators, the idiots who think they'll get away with a night in the pub and a two-mile drive home.
No-one knows this better than you.
Particularly as we approach the Christmas drink-drive season.
We're well placed this year to really get our message across.
Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling is launching the national THINK! drink-drive campaign on December 1, and the local government regions will launch their campaigns from Friday 2 December.
The THINK! campaign will primarily target young men about the dangers and consequences of drink-driving, and will incorporate TV, cinema and radio advertising.
ACPO's drink-drive enforcement campaigns have been extended to cover the whole month of December. There is also the TISPOL European Alcohol and Drug Driving Enforcement Campaign from 12th- 18th December.
Let's hope that they all have the desired affect. And let's hope they're not just reflected in the headline statistics - but also in the minds of millions of responsible youngsters, who can put pressure on the minority who are happy to drink and drive.
The effort doesn't come to a standstill on January 1, 2006. We must all make a commitment to fight drink-driving throughout the rest of the year, and to continue spreading the safety message to new motorists.
Bad driving and anti-social behaviour
Although drink-driving strategy dominates around this time of year, the joint DfT/ACPO/Home Office objectives also underline the importance of targeting the menace of bad driving and anti-social behaviour on our roads: speeding, tailgating, aggressive overtaking, road rage and verbal abuse, threatening and intimidating other drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Roads policing seeks to make sure that people can use roads safely, without being harmed or intimidated by the minority.
As I've said, almost all of us are road users. Children, elderly people, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds - whose children are five times more likely to be killed on the roads than children from better off families.
The implications of your efforts are felt right throughout the community, helping many different people to have confidence in the law.
Wider consequences of road policing
It's inevitable with the spread of new technologies - particularly those for gathering and communicating information - that one police officer's work is increasingly linked to another police officer's work.
That applies to roads police too.
There's increasing acknowledgement that effective roads policing benefits the entire police force. Almost every class and category of criminal uses the road network - indeed, many of them depend on it.
And there's increasing acceptance that no aspect of police work should be considered in isolation.
From petty burglars to drug dealers and terrorists, proactive roads policing is an effective measure for containing and deterring crime.
I want to talk for a couple of minutes about how new technologies and an improved support service will benefit roads police over the next few years, and ultimately benefit the whole force.
But I also want to make something very clear too: you are roads police; so, it's your job to police the roads; that's not going to change.
Resources, back-up and technology
An effective support network is designed to allow you to do your job as effectively as possible.
The importance of back-up systems and rapid communications grows as the challenges of the job change over time.
Any successful operational policing depends on good communications, on good evidence, on sound record keeping - so the right people are punished, and penalties are effectively enforced.
Accident statistics are very important, as are records about prosecutions and enforcement.
New technologies that will further improve the effectiveness of roads policing include real time information and data access, automatic number plate recognition and electronic number plate detection.
A better support service will help different areas of the police force to share information more efficiently. Vehicle fraud and crime have much wider consequences.
A car without a tax disc is often also uninsured, and the vehicle is more likely to be in a dangerous condition. Someone who hasn't got car tax and insurance is also more likely to be using their car for criminal purposes, or driving while disqualified.
So, for example, officers will be able to use automatic number plate recognition technology to help catch uninsured drivers. Officers using ANPR make nine times the number of arrests and contribute to three times the number of offenders being brought to justice than a conventional officer.
If we can also provide accurate insurance information with automatic number plate recognition, police officers will be in an excellent position to make matches through the database.
The goal is accurate, immediate information going out to officers on the roads as they request it. Our job, the DfT, VOSA, DVLA etc, is to build up that information and make it accessible. ACPO's job is to ensure officers are deployed to make full use of it.
But let me reiterate. Technology can never replicate the advantages of a physical police presence on the roads.
Technology alone cannot make drivers comply with our policies. If schemes like variable speed limits and greater lane discipline are to be more widely used, a visible police presence will be needed to ensure they can be used safely.
Even though safety cameras are doing an excellent job of cutting speeding, accidents and casualties at camera sites, a physical police presence will always be necessary on the roads to enforce speed limits and improve safety.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition is very useful. But it does not mean we underestimate the value of a policeman stopping a car for bad driving, or dealing with a motorist for anti-social behaviour.
Conclusion
We're living through rapidly changing times.
And we have to make sure that our roads policing operations are in a position to benefit from new technologies.
But I believe the core of your job remains the same.
Out on the roads. Maintaining order and control.
Improving lives, and saving lives.
It's about being professional, consistent, and thorough.
And continuing to attract the respect and gratitude of the public.
Thanks for your efforts over the year - and thanks to the Federation for the chance to come and speak to you today.
Thank you.
(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen.
There aren't too many public servants - and by that I mean anyone who's employed by the state in whatever role - who has a more direct influence on people's lives and well-being than you.
I want to put on record both my own and the Government's appreciation of the excellent job you do.
We all depend on you being out there, every day, every night, making sure our roads are policed properly.
But sometime we don't realise just how much we depend on you.
Every time you stop a driver who's been drinking, or a young lad who's speeding dangerously, we all benefit.
For you, these are everyday occurrences, done with the minimum of fuss, dealt with quickly and efficiently.
But who knows what might have happened if you hadn't been there? If you hadn't maintained control?
In such instances, your influence is immeasurable.
In other situations, it takes nothing more than your physical presence at the side of a road to make the difference.
So motorists think twice about driving at 70mph in a 50mph zone:
about carrying on a mobile phone conversation without a hands-free kit,
about driving around with no insurance.
Your presence is fundamental to making our roads safer.
Whatever the situation, the importance of your work has never been greater.
Roads are the arteries of our communities and our economy - linking homes, places of work and business, shops, schools and hospitals, and public services.
They offer freedom of movement, opportunities, and accessibility. They improve the quality of our lives.
But they're also busy and potentially hazardous.
In 2003, the overall cost of road accidents to the UK economy was around £18 billion - including lost output, physical damage, medical and police costs. And who can put a figure on the non-financial cost?
That's why we need to maintain a strong, professional roads police force, with a visible presence out on the networks, well supported by back-up systems and effective technology.
Similar objectives for different organisations
Earlier this year, the Department for Transport, ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) and the Home Office announced a set of common road policing objectives for the future.
At the heart of the strategy was a focus on working together to make best use of police time and police strengths, and for central Government to support road policing in the most effective way possible.
The common objectives were:
to reduce road casualties and improve road safety,
to enhance public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads,
to deny criminals the use of the road by enforcing the law, and to tackle the threat of terrorism, and
to deal with bad driving and anti-social behaviour which contributes to avoidable road deaths and injury. This behaviour includes drink and drug driving, excessive and inappropriate speeding, and failure to wear seat belts.
Road safety
At the top of all our priorities is road safety.
It's an area where this country has a reputation for high standards and professionalism.
After all, we have one of the safest road networks in the world. We're getting better at managing traffic safety - thanks to new initiatives like varying speed limits, better communication technologies, and improved traffic control systems.
But nine people a day still die on the roads.
31,000 serious injuries every year.
There is absolutely no room for complacency. The roads network remains a dangerous place, particularly for children.
And, in fact, if you look behind the headline figures, and there are worrying trends: road rage, drug-driving, illegal use of the roads, and a completely unacceptable rise in deaths caused by drink-driving.
Drink driving
We must not ignore, or dismiss this rise. We must work together to bring it down.
You know the type of person we are talking about:
male,
in his 20s or 30s,
someone who resists all the warnings and all the dangers,
doesn't think he'll get caught,
says he can drive perfectly safely after five pints.
But I fear that we're facing another tough challenge from a younger age group. Some youngsters don't see drink-driving in the same way that you and I see it. They think it's acceptable behaviour.
I fear there's not the same peer-pressure for young drivers to be responsible about alcohol that there was in the 1980s.
That has to change.
The central message that drink-driving is not acceptable is something we have to drum home tirelessly. It kills and maims. It ruins lives - and not just the lives of the victims, but also the lives of the perpetrators, the idiots who think they'll get away with a night in the pub and a two-mile drive home.
No-one knows this better than you.
Particularly as we approach the Christmas drink-drive season.
We're well placed this year to really get our message across.
Secretary of State for Transport Alistair Darling is launching the national THINK! drink-drive campaign on December 1, and the local government regions will launch their campaigns from Friday 2 December.
The THINK! campaign will primarily target young men about the dangers and consequences of drink-driving, and will incorporate TV, cinema and radio advertising.
ACPO's drink-drive enforcement campaigns have been extended to cover the whole month of December. There is also the TISPOL European Alcohol and Drug Driving Enforcement Campaign from 12th- 18th December.
Let's hope that they all have the desired affect. And let's hope they're not just reflected in the headline statistics - but also in the minds of millions of responsible youngsters, who can put pressure on the minority who are happy to drink and drive.
The effort doesn't come to a standstill on January 1, 2006. We must all make a commitment to fight drink-driving throughout the rest of the year, and to continue spreading the safety message to new motorists.
Bad driving and anti-social behaviour
Although drink-driving strategy dominates around this time of year, the joint DfT/ACPO/Home Office objectives also underline the importance of targeting the menace of bad driving and anti-social behaviour on our roads: speeding, tailgating, aggressive overtaking, road rage and verbal abuse, threatening and intimidating other drivers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.
Roads policing seeks to make sure that people can use roads safely, without being harmed or intimidated by the minority.
As I've said, almost all of us are road users. Children, elderly people, and people from disadvantaged backgrounds - whose children are five times more likely to be killed on the roads than children from better off families.
The implications of your efforts are felt right throughout the community, helping many different people to have confidence in the law.
Wider consequences of road policing
It's inevitable with the spread of new technologies - particularly those for gathering and communicating information - that one police officer's work is increasingly linked to another police officer's work.
That applies to roads police too.
There's increasing acknowledgement that effective roads policing benefits the entire police force. Almost every class and category of criminal uses the road network - indeed, many of them depend on it.
And there's increasing acceptance that no aspect of police work should be considered in isolation.
From petty burglars to drug dealers and terrorists, proactive roads policing is an effective measure for containing and deterring crime.
I want to talk for a couple of minutes about how new technologies and an improved support service will benefit roads police over the next few years, and ultimately benefit the whole force.
But I also want to make something very clear too: you are roads police; so, it's your job to police the roads; that's not going to change.
Resources, back-up and technology
An effective support network is designed to allow you to do your job as effectively as possible.
The importance of back-up systems and rapid communications grows as the challenges of the job change over time.
Any successful operational policing depends on good communications, on good evidence, on sound record keeping - so the right people are punished, and penalties are effectively enforced.
Accident statistics are very important, as are records about prosecutions and enforcement.
New technologies that will further improve the effectiveness of roads policing include real time information and data access, automatic number plate recognition and electronic number plate detection.
A better support service will help different areas of the police force to share information more efficiently. Vehicle fraud and crime have much wider consequences.
A car without a tax disc is often also uninsured, and the vehicle is more likely to be in a dangerous condition. Someone who hasn't got car tax and insurance is also more likely to be using their car for criminal purposes, or driving while disqualified.
So, for example, officers will be able to use automatic number plate recognition technology to help catch uninsured drivers. Officers using ANPR make nine times the number of arrests and contribute to three times the number of offenders being brought to justice than a conventional officer.
If we can also provide accurate insurance information with automatic number plate recognition, police officers will be in an excellent position to make matches through the database.
The goal is accurate, immediate information going out to officers on the roads as they request it. Our job, the DfT, VOSA, DVLA etc, is to build up that information and make it accessible. ACPO's job is to ensure officers are deployed to make full use of it.
But let me reiterate. Technology can never replicate the advantages of a physical police presence on the roads.
Technology alone cannot make drivers comply with our policies. If schemes like variable speed limits and greater lane discipline are to be more widely used, a visible police presence will be needed to ensure they can be used safely.
Even though safety cameras are doing an excellent job of cutting speeding, accidents and casualties at camera sites, a physical police presence will always be necessary on the roads to enforce speed limits and improve safety.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition is very useful. But it does not mean we underestimate the value of a policeman stopping a car for bad driving, or dealing with a motorist for anti-social behaviour.
Conclusion
We're living through rapidly changing times.
And we have to make sure that our roads policing operations are in a position to benefit from new technologies.
But I believe the core of your job remains the same.
Out on the roads. Maintaining order and control.
Improving lives, and saving lives.
It's about being professional, consistent, and thorough.
And continuing to attract the respect and gratitude of the public.
Thanks for your efforts over the year - and thanks to the Federation for the chance to come and speak to you today.
Thank you.
(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)
pdV6 said:because Tory councils make them stand on roads with inappropriately high speed limits and no "safety" cameras, of course!
...people from disadvantaged backgrounds - whose children are five times more likely to be killed on the roads than children from better off families. I wonder why that could be?
Derek Twigg said:
So, for example, officers will be able to use automatic number plate recognition technology to help catch uninsured drivers
How's that work then? If the car is on the insurance database then would it be stopped?The driver may not be insured to drive it,but the car would have insurance on it.
twiggy said:
But let me reiterate. Technology can never replicate the advantages of a physical police presence on the roads.
Technology alone cannot make drivers comply with our policies. If schemes like variable speed limits and greater lane discipline are to be more widely used, a visible police presence will be needed to ensure they can be used safely.
You can almost hear the words "retreat, retreat!!"
And talk about sterotyping drink-drivers. Most drink drivers that I nicked were over 40, no particular nationality and no particular sex. The blokes tended to be really tanked up and picked up street prossies. They needed to be pissed to sh4g them because they were THAT ugly!
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