Investment in speed prevention in Cheshire West

Further schemes to reduce speeding on roads across Cheshire West are set to be developed thanks to funding from police and crime commissioner (PCC) David Keane.

Community speed watch schemes will be established in Doddleston, Kelsall, Newton and Great Boughton after an injection of cash from the commissioner’s Community Police Fund.

The grants will fund the purchase of speed guns and high-visibility vests for local residents who will give up their time to make the roads in their community safer.

The groups will be trained to use the devices for measuring vehicles’ speeds in speeding hotspot areas. This information will then be passed to Cheshire police who will issue a warning to those exceeding the speed limit.

The fund will also help purchase a Speed Indication Device (SID) to be used in Kingsley and Gowy by the existing community speed watch scheme there. SIDs encourage drivers to comply with the speed limit by measuring the speed of oncoming vehicles and displaying this to the driver.

They can be moved around the area to target problem spots and in Kingsley and Gowy will be used to target speeding motorists outside Ashton Primary School, on the roads near to the Ashton playing field and on the B5393 through Mouldsworth.

The Community Police Fund is a new fund which has been provided to all 122 policing communities in Cheshire. Community police officers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) have been working with local residents to develop bids of up-to £1,000 to fund projects which address local issues.

The fund has been developed using money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act (PoCA) 2002. It also links directly to the recently launched initiative to increase police visibility in every community by providing a dedicated Police Constable and PCSO for all 122 areas.

PCC David Keane said: “I know that road safety issues, and in particular speeding, are a major concern for the majority of residents across Cheshire.

“That’s why I’ve made it my priority to make our roads safer. Although deaths and serious injuries on Cheshire’s roads have reduced by 38 per cent over the last five years, there’s always more we can do to make things safer for drivers and pedestrians.

“Community speed watch is an incredibly important scheme that enables committed members of the community to work with Cheshire police to make sure roads in their area are safer for their fellow residents.

“We know that areas where community speed watch scheme have been implemented tend to see a reduction in road traffic collisions so there’s clear evidence they work.

“I’m pleased that my Community Police Fund can help bring even more of these schemes to Cheshire West and encourage the local community to work closely with their local police teams to improve community safety and confidence.”