Policing of the Island’s roads is set to suffer another blow as it is revealed the Isle of Wight is to lose its last 2 specially trained and most experienced Roads Policing officers.
It an apparent money-saving exercise, the 2 remaining dedicated officers from the local Roads Policing Unit (RPU) will be cut from May this year. As a result, RPU duties will be carried out solely by armed response officers who lack the years of specialist roads policing experience.
At present around 8 armed officers carry out general RPU duties supported by the 2 Roads Policing officers, both of which have several years of experience of the job in hand and the Island’s unique road network.
Just 2 years ago Island Echo exclusively revealed that the Shanklin-based Roads Policing Unit was to be shelved and, bar the retention of the 2 officers, it was when RPU and Armed Response merged and moved to Newport in April 2016. It took 7 months for Police to confirm the merger.
A lack of investment in the Island’s Roads Policing Unit by Hampshire Constabulary is evident, with 8-year-old vehicles – some of the oldest in the fleet – being used for frontline duties, compared to the array of modern cars used by RPU’s elsewhere in the region.
The previous cuts resulted in the loss of the tactical unmarked Police vehicle on the Island, which has since resulted in mainland units being brought over several times a month with the obvious associated costs.
Now, the Island will lose the last remaining Police motorbike – another vehicle with tactical benefits – and it’s likely the joint ARV/RPU team will go down to just 2 vehicles.
Reacting to the news, road safety charity Isle Drive Safe: Remember Evey has said:
“These cuts will no doubt have a massive impact on our roads as both officers have been incredibly proactive for many years, not just on our roads but in our schools, communities and in their support of road safety projects throughout the Island. It’s sad to think that their vast amount of passion and knowledge for their job and our safety is going to be thrown away.
“Because of the cuts, the RPU will now consist of a handful of armed response officers who without a doubt are consummate professionals, but also have minimal roads traffic training. As firearms experts, is their first concern our roads? The change will create a void in the RPU’s ability to liaise and interact with community groups and raises a grave concern over bean counting cost effectiveness versus peoples lives.
“In our view, it’s an incredibly short sighted move, no doubt triggered by financial constraint, which will have a huge impact on our roads at a time when statistics conclude that road traffic incidents on the Island are increasing”.
The news comes just a week after Island Echo reported that Council Tax will increase by £5 to help fund Policing.
Hampshire Constabulary are yet to comment on the plans.
