A NEW community enforcement officer caught 132 speeding drivers and issued fines and penalties totalling more than £6,840 in his first nine weeks of work.

Plus, the new addition to Wiltshire Police caught 12 drivers going over the 40mph limit on a wet and stormy day in Inglesham last week - one car was caught twice in 30 minutes and another went at 62mph.

The role is funded by the force and by the office of Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson, with two more on the way.

He said: "Speeding is dangerous and time and time again I’m hearing from resident’s just how concerned they are and this is echoed by our Community Speed Watch volunteers - as a result road safety will be a key element in my upcoming Police and Crime Plan.

“It will take time for the real benefits of this enforcement action to shine through, but I’m pleased to see that we are already seeing results from deployments and hope to see the additional enforcement officers recruited in the coming months.

“Prevention is key and we should not wait for another family to grieve a loved one lost to a collision involving speed to take action and as our enforcement capacity increases and creates additional funds through fines and penalties this money will be reinvested in ever more enforcement.” 

The enforcement officer uses the latest state-of-the-art, roadside, Home Office approved equipment and works alongside Community Speed Watch volunteers to collate intelligence, developing a targeted enforcement approach across those communities where there are speeding issues.

Det Supt Chris Hanson, who is responsible for criminal justice and speed enforcement, said: “Speeding can have devastating consequences and I hope that our continued focus on enforcement reassures the community that we are taking this seriously.

“There is a clear correlation between enforcement of speed limits and a reduction in casualties and we will not shy away from holding motorists to account on the way they drive to make drivers think twice about their speeding.

“I would appeal to those who speed directly and ask whether reaching your destination a few minutes earlier really worth the risk of being involved in a fatal or serious collision?”

Depending on the severity of the offence, drivers can be fined, summonsed to court or offered a driver improvement course.