Roads policing officers at a 10-year low – RAC
RAC analysis has found that the number of roads policing officers in England and Wales has decreased by more than 1,000 in the last 10 years.
Government data revealed there were 5,237 officers across 43 police forces in 2015, working in a range of roles from traffic units on the roads to safety camera partnerships focused on mobile speed enforcement.
However, this number has now fallen by 1,088 to just 4,149, which represents a 21% fall in officers.
Looking purely at police out on the roads, the reduction is even more significant with the number of traffic units decreasing by 1,116 in a decade, from 5,005 in 2015 to 3,889 in 2025.
10-year low
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s clear from our analysis that the number of officers dedicated to roads policing is at a 10-year low which can only be seen as bad for the enforcement of motoring laws.
“Drivers we’ve surveyed express strong concerns about the dangers posed by others on the road breaking traffic laws, whether that’s speeding, drink or drug-driving, using a handheld mobile phone, driving in an aggressive way or not having tax or insurance.
“While automatic number plate recognition cameras have become much more common in the last decade, not seeing as many officers in police cars lessens the fear of being caught breaking the law, which may explain why so many law-abiding drivers are concerned about the behaviour of others they share the road with. The deterrent value of ‘cops in cars’ should not be underestimated.
“We’d very much like to see a return to having more officers on traffic duty, or significant new measures introduced to crack down on those who break the rules of the road.”
