Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews has outlined his plans to crackdown on anti-social driving and e-scooters as part of an ambitious mission to address the public's top priorities.
The Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland PCC has unveiled his new Police and Crime Plan, promising to get tough on the problems that matter most to residents and businesses over the next four years.
Road Safety is one of six priorities at the top of the PCC's agenda after thousands of residents, businesses and stakeholders raised the issue during his recent online consultation.
In response, the PCC has identified a three-pronged strategy to make the region's roads safer that involves:
- Working with the Chief Constable and partners to crackdown on the anti-social use of vehicles such as e-scooters and illegal bikes and increasing the number of safety initiatives on the area's roads.
- Working alongside the Road Safety Partnership to deliver road safety initiatives and providing the Chief Constable with full support to deal with car-related ASB while supporting the Road Safety Unit to deliver successful FATAL4 operations.
- Taking action to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the force area's roads along with increased activity to tackle speeding and ongoing robust action against car cruising.
Mr Matthews said: "There is growing concern about anti-social driving across our communities from the illegal use of e-scooters and e-bikes through to car cruising and speeding. My recent survey highlighted the strength of feeling among residents who expect these issues to be dealt with robustly. This is exactly what I have promised in my Police and Crime Plan.
"There are numerous accounts of near-misses, injuries and accidents where drivers or pedestrians have been impacted by the lethal actions of reckless or anti-social drivers. This is completely unacceptable. I will provide the Chief Constable and our roads policing officers with every resource possible to ensure that these offenders are dealt with properly while investing in education that prevents and deters this behaviour in the first place."
The remainder of the PCC's priorities are Violence and Vulnerability, Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), Neighbourhood Crime, Business Crime and Rural Crime.
Across each theme, the Commissioner has vowed to increase public confidence and trust in the services the public and victims of crime receive.
Recognising the need to address the root causes of crime, the Commissioner has renewed his commitment to prioritise prevention and insists he will ‘empower local communities to help themselves' so they become more resilient.
Photo : Rupert with Ratcliffe on the Wreake Sign
