http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/2008/09/crap-policing.html
When it comes to London’s crap traffic policing Jenny Jones of the London Assembly has described the difficulties:
The Met Police halved the number of traffic police and regarded road safety as a very low priority. Drivers have spent the last decade or more thinking that they can break the law in London and get away with it. The result is that in some parts of London, a quarter of all people injured in traffic collisions are victims of hit and run drivers.
At its worst
Each week in London 80 people are the victims of hit-and-run drivers.
This figure has doubled in the last two decades. By contrast the number of traffic police has fallen steeply over the same period.(pdf)
Jenny Jones produced an excellent report (pdf) noting that
The Metropolitan Police has failed to treat road crime with the seriousness it deserves.
London’s roads are becoming increasingly lawless in several dangerous ways.
This report describes the rise in “hit-and-run” incidents, the widespread evasion of vehicle tax and insurance, and the declining enforcement of traffic offences not detected by electronic devices, such as speed cameras.
Cuts in the number of traffic police have lead a minority of drivers to believe that they can break the law with impunity. Yet, an increase of 8,000 in the total number of police officers in London over the last six years provided the Met Police with ample opportunity to make road safety a priority .
More people die on London’s roads than are murdered.
Most road deaths are preventable, yet several times more resources are devoted to murder investigations than to road death investigations. The lack of priority given to road crime is demonstrated by the current reluctance of the police to prosecute drivers who injure cyclists or pedestrians, in the absence of independent witnesses . This dismissive approach is not adopted towards the victims of car theft, burglary, assault and other crimes.
When it comes to London’s crap traffic policing Jenny Jones of the London Assembly has described the difficulties:
The Met Police halved the number of traffic police and regarded road safety as a very low priority. Drivers have spent the last decade or more thinking that they can break the law in London and get away with it. The result is that in some parts of London, a quarter of all people injured in traffic collisions are victims of hit and run drivers.
At its worst
Each week in London 80 people are the victims of hit-and-run drivers.
This figure has doubled in the last two decades. By contrast the number of traffic police has fallen steeply over the same period.(pdf)
Jenny Jones produced an excellent report (pdf) noting that
The Metropolitan Police has failed to treat road crime with the seriousness it deserves.
London’s roads are becoming increasingly lawless in several dangerous ways.
This report describes the rise in “hit-and-run” incidents, the widespread evasion of vehicle tax and insurance, and the declining enforcement of traffic offences not detected by electronic devices, such as speed cameras.
Cuts in the number of traffic police have lead a minority of drivers to believe that they can break the law with impunity. Yet, an increase of 8,000 in the total number of police officers in London over the last six years provided the Met Police with ample opportunity to make road safety a priority .
More people die on London’s roads than are murdered.
Most road deaths are preventable, yet several times more resources are devoted to murder investigations than to road death investigations. The lack of priority given to road crime is demonstrated by the current reluctance of the police to prosecute drivers who injure cyclists or pedestrians, in the absence of independent witnesses . This dismissive approach is not adopted towards the victims of car theft, burglary, assault and other crimes.
