The meeting, focused on road safety and the policing response, was organised to take a detailed look at the how our roads are policed, in line with the Commissioner delivering his key Fighting Crime Plan priority of targeting dangerous drivers.
Discussions explored various aspects of policing Lancashire’s roads, ranging from speed enforcement to offences such as drink and drug driving, as well as mobile phone use, among others.
Also highlighted was Op Snap, where members of the public are submitting dashcam footage to help tackle dangerous driving, and how concerns from the public feed into enforcement and how officers are tasked.
Regular accountability boards serve as a vital platform for the Commissioner to act as the voice of the public in policing and ensure that the Constabulary delivers the service that they expect. More focused, informal sessions like this allow an even deeper look in specific topics, all related back to the Fighting Crime Plan priorities.
Andrew Snowden, Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire said: “We are taking the fight to criminals who put themselves and others at risk on our road network, ultimately with the aim to protect people and save lives.
“It is crucial that we protect the public across the road network, from busy motorway routes to rural areas and everything in between. Our aim is to make our county’s roads safer for everyone, and we are fully committed to delivering this across Lancashire.
“Conversations like this provide reassurance that our safer roads team and the force in general are listening to concerns that the public have and utilising this vital intelligence to make the county safer, whether through dashcam footage from Operation Snap or other information.
“This isn’t something that policing can deal with alone, and different partners within the Lancashire Road Safety Partnership which my Deputy chairs, play an important role. However, the ability of officers to proactively target offenders and make an instant difference to road safety by tackling criminality and challenging behaviours is absolutely vital.
“It is important to have this chance to question the Chief Constable on the operational delivery of my Fighting Crime Plan, based on what the people of Lancashire are telling me, recognising what is working and where we can do even better. I have joined our dedicated road policing officers out on duty who work tirelessly, responding to incidents, and tackling criminals who utilise the road networks and I will continue to scrutinise this area of work as I lead the fight against crime in Lancashire.”
