Hundreds of drivers caught breaking major safety rules as police crack down on hotspot areas

Hampshire Police have caught nearly 850 speeding drivers through a new road safety programme, which issued several penalties to offenders.

The police revealed they have begun sending motorcycle officers with speed detection equipment into residential areas in a bid to improve road safety.

The Safer Roads initiative has been designed to reach narrow streets and rural lanes that ordinary speed camera vans cannot access, which have been flagged as key hotspots for speeding offences.

The scheme uses two specially equipped police motorbikes, funded by Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, which have proved effective in capturing road offenders.

These officers travel across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to carry out speed checks in places where speeding has been reported as a regular problem.

For the first time, the force can bring proper speed enforcement to smaller community roads that were previously impossible to monitor.

Residents play a major role in identifying where officers should focus their attention. Many of the hotspots are narrow residential streets where cars often exceed the limit, but where the police’s usual vans cannot fit.

The new motorcycles allow officers to move freely through these tighter areas, stopping wherever they need to set up speed monitoring.

Before the programme began, many smaller roads simply could not be monitored because there was no way to get large enforcement vehicles into position.

Now, with the specialist motorcycles and portable speed devices, police can gather accurate data and take action almost anywhere.

The initiative forms part of a wider road safety plan led by the Roads Policing Teams. These officers work closely with local Neighbourhood Teams to use different types of enforcement depending on what each area needs.

In addition to the motorcycle units, the teams also use drones to monitor traffic and gather information. Police analysed collision and injury data to find locations in residential and rural communities where safety improvements are most needed.

The police then work with local councils and other partners to address the issues, whether that means increasing speed enforcement, changing road layouts, adding signs, or redesigning parts of the highway. Once improvements have been made in one place, the team moves on to another area with similar problems.

The force shared these results during National Road Safety Week, stating that the early impact on driver behaviour has been promising.

Hampshire Police said it continues to run Operation Chromium, which focuses on anti-social driving and illegal car meets.

Over the past year, the force has taken 54 dangerous drivers to court and issued 76 Fixed Penalty Notices. In total, officers have handed out 69 penalty points and collected more than £13,000 in fines from people involved in reckless or nuisance driving.

Jamie Dobson, Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, said: "Sadly, our teams see every day the devastating impact that collisions have on those involved and the ripple effect that has on communities, whether that is due to speeding, drink or drugs, no seatbelts or inattention.

"Our teams are out every day making our roads safer, but now we will have a particular focus and individualised plans for residential and rural areas, as well as our main arterial routes."

He added that the new motorcycles allow officers to reach places that have never been monitored before. Some of the speeds recorded so far have been "alarmingly high," reinforcing why the initiative is needed.

More than 55 per cent of respondents to the Police and Crime Plan consultation said road safety should be a priority.