The Impact of the Reduction of London's Traffic
Police
It was with utter disbelief that I heard the Metropolitan
Commissioner's recent announcement that the numbers of
traffic police officers in the capital were going to be
halved. Halved? Hadn't I just read in the GLA
Green Group Report - "London's unsafe roads: the police and
motorised street crime" that the number of traffic police in
London has halved over the last 14 years?
Halved again, when another year has seen an increase in
London's casualty rates!
Both the Metropolitan Commissioner and Home Secretary gave
their reason: to stop "street crime", in particular mobile
phone thefts. They ignored the much more serious street
crime - the killing and maiming on London's roads, the danger
of which has greatly increased because of their decision.
As if it hadn't been bad enough already. In the year
2000, there were 284 people killed on London's roads (22 more
than in 1999!) and 45,887 were reported injured.
Research by the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) has shown
that police reported figures seriously understate the reality
and has recommended that hospital figures should be
used. According to these, in reality 83,600 people were
injured on the roads of London in 2000, of which 8,900 were
children up to 15 years.
Amazingly, 16-year olds are no longer considered children
for road casualty statistics. The child casualty rate
is particularly worrying if we remind ourselves that most
parents ferry their children to and from school or anywhere
else - for fear of dangerous traffic. It is by now a
well-known fact that poorer children are five times more
likely to be killed or injured in a car crash.
Brent occupies a proud place among the Boroughs in respect
of road casualties. In 2000, there were 1,664 reported
road casualties, which based on hospital figures were
probably nearer 3,500. So many people directly affected
by injury and death, and yet this is not treated as a
priority anywhere. The final figures for 2001 are not
out yet, but it is feared that 2001 has seen a further
increase in traffic fatalities, as well as injuries.
No more than 400 traffic police officers are left in the
whole of London to respond to over 80,000 personal injury
crashes and nearly 3000 deaths. Can we expect a proper
investigation into their causes? And what about
enforcement - to act as prevention and provide a
deterrent? This will now be completely absent. We
have learnt that even the Commercial Vehicle Units are being
closed down entirely, to the great concern of Traffic
Commissioners. It should be of great concern to all,
since we are all potential victims.
In March 2000, the Prime Minister launched the Road Safety
Strategy, which included a target of a 40% reduction in those
killed and seriously injured until 2010. In London
these figures have gone up instead of down. It is
clearly not enough to declare a target without ensuring
proper resources and measures to achieve them.
To have the existing resources seriously depleted by
removing 50% of the already inadequate numbers of traffic
police, is clearly putting very many lives at risk. On
Harlesden High Street there were two serious crashes in the
past two weeks alone, at least one of which I know to have
led to a death. Last Saturday there was another
collision on All Soul's Avenue, the racing track of the
area. A car was left standing upside down and if the
driver came out alive, he or she would have been very
lucky.
Our charity exists to provide support and information to
bereaved and injured road traffic victims. We know only
too well what devastation sudden violent deaths or serious
injuries cause to people and families. We work hard at
raising awareness and trying to prevent these tragedies.
The role of traffic police officers should be considered
vital, of utmost importance, since their work has the
potential to save many lives and save many from the misery of
being injured or disabled for life.
Sadly, their importance is not acknowledged. The
consultation 'Policing a new century: a blueprint for
reform', which just closed on 21 January, did not once
mention traffic policing and the 150 page consultation
document made not a single reference to road traffic law
enforcement.
Clearly the public, who are the potential victims of the
true street crime - the killing and maiming through dangerous
driving - are not well served by having a very real threat to
their lives and well-being totally ignored.
Do see your MP and protest about the declining numbers of
traffic police and the increase of road danger.
This article, written by
Brigitte Chaudhry, appeared in the NW Press papers on 30
January 2002.
