Community Speed Watch – Can you help

Your local Community Speed watch Groups in Sussex are currently looking for volunteers to help monitor the speeds of traffic in your area. Anyone from 18 years and over can apply to be a volunteer and help keep local communities feel that little bit safer.

Community Speed watch (CSW) is a national initiative where active members of local communities join with the support of the Police to monitor speeds of vehicles using speed detection devices. Their aim being to help ​and support their communities by influencing driver behaviour – by reducing speeds. Community Speed Watch in Sussex is an award winning organisation.

Groups are mainly made up of local residents of all age ranges. Sussex Police, through the county speed watch co-ordinator – Steve O’Connell gives thorough training to new groups and help them set up. Steve also risk assess sites that have been identified as problem roads where speeding occurs – as to whether they are suitable sites for monitoring to take place.

Once successfully trained, groups are loaned or can purchase their monitoring equipment and then gain access to report vehicles to Operation Crackdown.

CSW is all about education – and letters that are sent by Operation Crackdown to registered keepers of vehicles, who have been monitored driving over the speed limits, are simply advised to stick to the limits. Operation Crackdown is able to see where vehicles have come to notice more than once and a tailored response is then given which does involve a visit to the registered keeper by the local Police.

There are well over 100 community Speed Watch groups set up across Sussex – each helping to make their local community feel that little bit safer.

For further information about CSW or how to join please email steve.oconnell@sussex.pnn.police.uk or take a look at their website at www.communityspeedwatch.org.