THAMES Valley Police has launched a new dedicated team aimed at bolstering its response to risk of harm on the roads through targeted work.
Operating across all three Thames Valley counties–Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, and Berkshire–the Roads Policing Unit Tasking Team will take an evidence‑based approach to identifying and addressing the areas of greatest risk.
Each month, the team will be responding to emerging threats across the roads that are causing the most harm within the region.
This will follow a review of current trends, collision data, intelligence, and emerging threats.
From that, they will then deploy proactively to these locations to directly address the behaviours and offences driving those risks.
The launch comes amid a new governmental Roads Strategy, which focuses on a need for focused, preventative action to reduce harm on the UK’s roads.
Inspector Simon Hills of the Roads Policing Unit said, “The team’s primary focus will be proactive roads policing and enforcement, and the public should expect to see increased action against those who break the law.
“The team will be using all available enforcement options at their disposal in order to effectively target those road users who choose to put themselves and others at risk through dangerous, impaired or irresponsible driving
“Taskings will be set through our internal processes, ensuring that deployments are always rooted in intelligence, robust data, and a clear understanding of where intervention is needed most.
“In addition to their proactive work, the team will support local policing operations wherever possible and will also target those individuals known to us through intelligence, including those involved in drink or drug driving.
“We will be better equipped than ever to prevent danger and save lives.”
Matthew Barber, Thames Valley’s Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “The creation of the Roads Policing Unit Tasking Team will be a major boost in Thames Valley Police’s capability to bear down on the dangerous and illegal drivers who put others at risk on our roads.
“Their evidence-based approach will focus enforcement in the areas presenting the greatest risk, targeting irresponsible and illegal behaviours.
“Effective enforcement plays a critical role in deterring dangerous behaviour and reducing fatalities on our roads but there also needs to be consistent and collaborative partnership working between the agencies responsible for the road network across the Thames Valley if we are to enhance safety and continue to see a year-on-year reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.
“The creation of the Thames Valley Strategic Road Safety Partnership through my Road Safety Strategy seeks to strengthen this collaboration and ensure a multi-agency approach to creating safer roads for all.”
