A campaign for the reinstatement of a dedicated Roads Policing Unit on the Isle of Wight has seen success, as Hampshire Constabulary confirm 2 RPU officers will be stationed on the Island in the future.
It was in 2015 that Island Echo exclusively revealed that the Shanklin-based Roads Policing Unit (RPU) was to be shelved – something that took several months to be confirmed. Then, in 2017, the last 2 RPU officers were lost from the Island’s Joint Operations team.
In recent months the lack of a dedicated team and a second-class service for Islanders has come under fire, with Bob Seely MP, Council Leader Lora Peacey-Wilcox and HM Coroner Caroline Sumeray all campaigning for the return of a Roads Policing Unit.
Last week Island Echo ran a letter from a former traffic cop who was backing the campaign.
Now, it has been confirmed that the Isle of Wight is set to benefit from an enhanced roads policing service thanks to the re-introduction of a dedicated team, despite the Force saying just 2 weeks ago that there were no plans for the return of a dedicated Roads Policing Unit on the Isle of Wight.
Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones has committed to an additional 600 police officers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight by 2023. As part of the officer uplift commitment for the next financial year, additional roads policing posts are being created across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight – although RPU officers don’t tend to be new recruits into the service. Hampshire Constabulary says this uplift gives the Force the capacity and flexibility to invest in this specialist area of policing on the Island.
Under the new proposals, an additional unit of 2 dedicated roads policing officers will be established on the Island that will complement the ARV and Response Policing capability. What is unclear at this stage is whether these 2 officers will be transferred from the current 8-strong ARV team.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said:
“I am grateful to the members of the community and elected representatives who have contacted me about the issue of road safety on the Isle of Wight. I was elected to be a voice for residents and will always listen and work to find the best solution when community concerns are raised with me.
“I am delighted that my commitment to recruit additional officers has meant that the resources are available to enable the Constabulary to reintroduce a dedicated Roads Policing Team on the Island and improve safety for all road users. I would like to thank ACC Tim Metcalfe for listening to the community and working with me to achieve a positive outcome.”
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, Head of Joint Operations for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, has said:
“We are committed to ensuring our roads are safe for motorists on the Isle of Wight, and this has been led by the efforts of the dual-skilled ARV officers who also carry out roads policing duties.
“For some time we have been actively considering options to develop and enhance this capability. I am pleased to say that the current officer uplift, and the commitment from our Police and Crime Commissioner, now gives us the ability to invest in, and re-introduce a team of dedicated roads policing officers on the Island.
“As a police service, it’s important for us to constantly review our operating models in line with demand information, and listen to our communities and partners.
“I have every confidence that this additional resourcing for the Isle of Wight will help to keep road users safe and improve the service we provide to our communities on the Island.”
Wow, 2 officers, that will really provide island wide cover.
Its two more than zero
Two are nowhere near enough, it will make little or no impact at all.
Will that be two officers patrolling together in one car??
To be fair nothing was mentioned about a car!
Do we really need 8 Armed Response officers on the Island ?? NO !!
Do we really need 8 Road Policing officers ?? YES !!
What an absolute joke. I suppose they will say that this justifies the disgraceful rise in the police precept of our council tax bills.
Now we need the courts to hand down tougher sentences for serious motoring offenses and keep the Island roads safer for everyone
It was Bob and his mates that removed them in the first place. I bet you look though the archives he was saying it would be ok. He should be apologising and admitting he was wrong. Not making out he’s some kind of hero for bringing 2 back, which is still less than we had.
This is good news, Hopefully, they will catch the dangerous boomers on the roads.
Banning PAVEMENT Parking on the Island would make
Island Roads much safer.
Traffic calming is required to STOP vehicles driving too fast down many roads.
While this is welcome news it was proven a couple of years back that two officers in place is insufficient and today our driver problems are worse. The Island needs a fully resourced unit AND a traffic management system in place to support it.
Ha ha what a Joke 2… probably just two police people in one car…or sitting inside Newport police station…