ESSEX Police’s Commercial Vehicle Unit (CVU) have acquired a new camera that will help them identify offenders and capture evidence of offences being committed on our roads, making it easier to prosecute those committing road-related offences.
The camera, funded by National Highways, will be used to capture evidence of drivers who flout the law and whose driving poses a threat to the safety of other road users on fast roads, including A12, A120, M25, M11 and A130.
Officers will use the camera as part of proactive patrols during Operation Tramline, a national road safety campaign focussing on the strategic network of fast roads, and aims to reduce collisions and incidents, and improve safety, journey time and reliability on major roads. As part of that operation, CVU officers use an HGV lorry to see into lorry cabs to monitor driver behaviour, and now, using the camera, they can record offences committed by the driver of any vehicle.
As our officers carry out proactive patrols each and every day, it’s important that they have the best, most up-to-date technology to support them.
Since trials began by the Roads Policing officers, the camera has captured drivers committing dangerous driving practices including using mobile phones whilst driving, not wearing seatbelts and speeding.
Sergeant Jason Dearsley, who leads the Commercial Vehicle Unit, explains: “We continue to add new resources and innovative ways to police our roads, and the camera is a great tool to help officers ensure road safety.
“Thanks to National Highways, if in the future, we identify a traffic offence, we will be able to record the incident as it happens and the footage will be used as part of an evidential package submitted to the court so that there is no doubt about what happened.
“It means that cases will be dealt with quicker and timelier, ensuring safer roads.
“It’s not instead of police patrols, it’s in addition to what we do.”
Over five days last month, our Commercial Vehicle Unit travelled 7,000 miles on the strategic network as part of Operation Tramline. In addition, they issued 126 traffic offence reports and seized 12 uninsured vehicles as part of patrols to identify unsafe and distracting driver behaviour on the major routes across our county.
Under Vision Zero, we’d encourage the public to support our efforts to keep roads in Essex safe. It’s our ambition to have zero roads deaths by 2040 or sooner.
Anyone who captures incidents of poor and dangerous driving on their dash cam can submit it to Extra Eyes.
For more information on Vision Zero, visit Vision Zero – saferessexroads.org
