Black box benefits
In-vehicle journey data recorders – black boxes – should be fitted as standard on the production line by motor manufacturers, according to high-profile North Wales chief constable Richard Brunstrom. Both his own force and the Metropolitan Police fit such devices as standard to police vehicles and he says driver behaviour dramatically changes when they know the technology is in place and their driving is being monitored. However, despite the moral and ethical arguments in favour of the systems, he understands the view promoted by many fleet operators that the cost of retrospectively fitting such devices outweighs the benefit.

That is why, says Mr Brunstrom, he is lobbying vehicle manufacturers to fit the technology on the production line. He adds: “The view of the majority of fleet managers is short-sighted and parochial because the devices don’t cost much, but there is not much of an enforcement regime. However, the number of vehicles fitted with black boxes is growing and we can prove that journey data recorders can have significant benefits to an already well-managed fleet and make good business sense. “Black boxes will demonstrate whether drivers were driving appropriately and they offer enormous benefits in terms of protecting you and your drivers’ reputation. In the event of a crash, it can show whether or not it was your employee’s fault.”

His comments come as the number of crashes involving police cars is under the spotlight, following 42 pursuit deaths last year. “That is far too many. It is many more people than we shoot, but we have not taken the same approach to road deaths. We are more tolerant of deaths on the roads. But that view must change and, therefore, we must change the way we train our police drivers,” says Mr Brunstrom, who, as part of his ACPO responsibilities is in charge of police driver-training. Despite a highly-sophisticated police driver-training programme and police pursuit process, the number of road crashes resulting in deaths and serious injuries has not reduced.

“We need to know why these incidents are happening. I suspect sometimes it is the fault of the police. The issue is on my agenda. I am looking at our driver-training process and I will be taking the matter up with Home Office ministers,” he says. “We will have to become better at demonstrating what happened in a police-involved collision and if it was a blameworthy collision. Killing 42 people a year is not acceptable.”

In addition to the fatalities, government figures reveal that there were more than 20,000 incidents involving police cars, vans or motorcyclists in England and Wales in 2003/04, including vandalism and minor scrapes. When the numbers were revealed earlier this year, Liberal Democrat MP and the party’s home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said: “For their safety and our safety, police drivers should be on regular refresher courses to keep them alert and aware of the dangers.” More than half the police vehicles in Derbyshire are fitted with data recorders and chief inspector Paul Berry, of the force’s road policing unit, said earlier this year that the technology helped accident investigators gain as much technical information as possible to help determine the cause of crashes.

Intelligence-led policing leads the way
A new strategy of “intelligence-led” policing for the roads putting road safety firmly on the social agenda was announced by the government earlier this year.

Surprisingly, roads policing has not previously been recognised as a core aspect of police work by the Home Office, the organisation to which the police answer. Instead, work has been shared between the Home Office and the Department for Transport. However, Mr Brunstrom, head of road policing for the ACPO, says he has made it his mission to raise the profile of roads policing. As a result, the new strategy does not simply highlight traffic police work, but brings together five key policing priorities in which all police officers will play a part.

The five limbs of the strategy announced by then Transport Secretary Alistair Darling, then Home Office Minister Caroline Flint and Mr Brunstrom are:

• Denying criminals use of the roads by enforcing the law
• Reducing road casualties
• Tackling the threat of terrorism
• Reducing anti-social use of the roads
• Enhancing public confidence and reassurance by patrolling the roads

In announcing the new commitment, the government says: “It clearly sets the police commitment to deal with all forms of illegal and anti-social use of the roads, including drink-driving, speeding, dangerous or careless driving and behaviour which is threatening to road users – including pedestrians as well as drivers.” Mr Brunstrom says: “Intelligence-led is part of the wallpaper of all British policing. We have taken the national intelligence model and applied it to road policing. It is not simply about enforcing road regulation, it is about denying criminals use of the roads.” With ministerial support for the strategy it will, says Mr Brunstrom, result in a highly-visible police presence on the roads, which is demanded by the public.

“Over the next 10 years, there will be a shift in roads’ policing that will see it become centre stage. Traffic policing has suffered from government neglect and we have also not seen it as sufficiently important. We are broadening the concept beyond that of the old view of traffic police.” In practice, there will be increasingly closer integration between, for example, police anti-terrorist activities and what is happening on the street. In the future, increasingly well-trained traffic policemen will be focusing on anti-terrorist activities on the road – vehicle movement – and not simply vehicle enforcement regulations. More visible policing, along with continued operation of the National Safety Camera Programme for cutting casualties and deaths at collision blackspots; a national police anti-drink and drug driving campaign; and a national police seatbelt campaign to increase the level of seatbelt wearing, especially in rear seats and by children, are all highlighted as key aspects of the new road policing commitment.

Summing up the new view, Caroline Flint says: “Roads policing is an important and valuable part of day-to-day policing. It not only helps reduce deaths and injuries on the roads, but reduces anti-social and criminal misuse of vehicles and provides a reassuring presence to the public.” A key element in the strategy is the increased use of new technology such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) technology. Police officers using ANPR make nine times the number of arrests and contribute to three times the number of offenders brought to justice compared with a conventional officer. Computers linked to a network of more than 2,000 cameras will automatically read vehicle number plates, check them against national files and alert police if the driver is wanted or is a suspect. In addition, they will aid the crackdown on untaxed and uninsured drivers, who are frequently involved in other crimes and often have unsafe cars that are involved in fatal crashes.

Over the next three years, the computer links will be added to the cameras on gantries watching motorway traffic and main routes. Police are also going to add the links to closed-circuit systems operated by local authorities to monitor urban main roads. The technology can check up to 3,000 number plates per hour.