Community Speedwatch Volunteers Conference – June 2023
Posted on Tuesday 27th June 2023 in Drivers, Education and Training, Motorcyclists, Speed
On Tuesday 27th of June colleagues from Sussex Safer Roads Partnership attended the Community Speedwatch (CSW) Volunteers Conference, Safer roads through citizen partnerships: Enhancing road safety with Community Speedwatch volunteers.
This one-day conference was hosted as part of a Road Safety Trust funded research project currently being conducted by the University of Greenwich and University of Surrey. The Road Safety Trust aims to reduce the numbers of people killed or injured on our roads and provides funding for research and practical interventions into new approaches to road safety. Professor Karen Bullock and Doctor Melissa Pepper have a long history of working independently and together to understand how volunteers and volunteering may be used to reduce crime and improve community safety.
The event was a fantastic opportunity to hear early findings from the research exploring the role and contribution of Community Speedwatch volunteers in Surrey and Sussex, discuss the development of Community Speedwatch schemes, and network with practitioners and Community Speedwatch volunteers.
CSW is a scheme in which police services, local community organisations, and volunteers work closely together to monitor speed in local areas. The scheme provides local volunteers with training and equipment to monitor vehicle speeds. Where drivers are not observing the speed limit, they may receive letters of advice from the police service. The hours provided by volunteers provide much needed additional resources to improve the safety of communities. Ultimately, CSW aims to reduce reoffending by speeding drivers who have received a letter of advice from police after being recorded speeding
Dr Melissa Pepper commented:
Together with my colleague Professor Karen Bullock, it was fantastic to welcome Community Speedwatch volunteers and practitioners to the University of Surrey to share early research findings from our Road Safety Trust funded project – Safer roads through citizen partnerships: Enhancing road safety with Community Speedwatch volunteers.
Our research has clearly highlighted the contribution that volunteers make to road safety, and generated learning around how best to support and develop them in their roles, including the importance of dedicated co-ordination and management, partnerships with police officers and staff, and communicating with the wider community. A real highlight of the day for me was seeing and hearing how engaged volunteers and practitioners were together in our workshop sessions, debating the opportunities and challenges that Speedwatch schemes present, and developing joint approaches to moving forward.
A huge thank you to the Speedwatch volunteers, officers, and staff from across Surrey, Sussex and beyond who attended our event – especially Chief Constable Jo Shiner and Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry. Their enthusiasm to be involved really is testament to how much senior officers value and appreciate the contribution of our citizen volunteers.
Our album of images taken at the Community SpeedWatch Conference is now available here on our website over in our gallery!
Check it out👇
