Bad drivers and crash hotspots in task force sights
BBCA police force has launched a new task force targeting the worst drivers and most dangerous roads.
Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary has established a new roads policing Tasking Team, which will prioritise apprehending motorists committing the fatal five offences which cause the most deaths and serious, life-changing injuries on the roads.
The team will also be proactively running operations at serious collision hotspots and they can be deployed to help other areas of the force target criminal use of vehicles.
Team leader Sgt Stephen Phillips said people in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight "deserve to feel safe on their roads".
The force recently announced its move to Fatal Five, in line with many other police forces across the country such as Thames Valley Police.
Phillips said: "Too many lives have been shattered by dangerous and careless drivers."
"If you are speeding, drink or drug driving, using your phone behind the wheel, or putting lives at risk with your careless or inconsiderate driving, understand this: we will find you, and we will stop you," he added.
"People in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight deserve to feel safe on their roads."
He said the delegated officers "could be anywhere in unmarked cars".
Donna Jones, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), said that one death on our roads "is one too many" and that tackling dangerous drivers "is a constant challenge for our Roads Policing Unit".
"Younger and older drivers are particularly at risk, and careless driving is a common cause of incidents leading to death or serious injury," she said.
"The actions of one person behind the wheel can have a devastating impact in a split second, which is why I am focused on making the roads across our two counties safer with more investment to support proactive roads policing."
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