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.