The Isle of Wight Coroner, Caroline Sumeray, has added her views to the campaign for a dedicated Roads Policing Unit (RPU) on the Isle of Wight.
Isle of Wight Conservative MP, Bob Seely, claims to be leading the campaign, but a passionate appeal for a dedicated RPU on the Island came from Cllr Ian Dore at last September’s full council meeting,
This was followed up with a letter sent jointly from Isle of Wight council leader, Lora Peacey-Wilcox and the MP to Chief Constable, Olivia Pinkney, and Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones.
More recently the Isle of Wight Association of Local Councils have thrown their hat into the ring, as explained by Cllr Cameron Palin at the IWALC meeting.
Coroner raised concerns in April 2021
Mrs Sumeray referred to a letter she sent to Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney dated 7th April 2021, in which said she was concerned that officers with specialities like armed response, were expected to carry out road policing responsibilities without the same training in the areas that their mainland colleagues receive.
She said,
“In my view… this could allow the public to believe that they are getting a second-rate standard of Roads Traffic Policing compared to that which is available in Hampshire which cannot be right or fair.”
Officers refused specialist training
Mrs Sumeray added,
“It is disappointing to read that these Officers have asked to receive this more specialist training (to accord with their duties) in line with their Hampshire colleagues, but that this has been refused by Hampshire Constabulary.
“I struggle to understand how it can be justified for those Officers who carry out their duties on the Isle of Wight to not be trained to the same high standard as their colleagues in the rest of Hampshire – which, it goes without saying, is the same Police Force.”
Accepting that there is no need for Isle of Wight RPU Officers to be trained on motorway driving and major trunk roads because there are none on the Island, Mrs Sumeray says she does support further training and a dedicated RPU for the Island.
Reiterating call for dedicated RPU
Bob Seely has also written again to Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones, reiterating his call for a dedicated Roads Policing Unit for the Island following serious recent road traffic incidents.
In the letter he said,
“Road traffic incidents are indiscriminate, dangerous and often tragic; reminding drivers of a strong police presence along the Island’s roads could reinforce safe driving habits and the creation of a Specialised Roads Policing unit would be timely and potentially life-saving.
“Many Islanders agree that they feel less safe on Island roads. As mentioned in a previous letter, the House of Commons library has informed me that, in 2020, the killed/serious injury rate from road accidents on the Isle of Wight was the highest rate outside London, well above the South East’s average.
“I continue to receive correspondence from concerned constituents about dangerous driving, high speeds and noise related issues caused by illegal exhausts. A specialist RPU would go some way to ameliorating these issues. I am asking you to seriously consider the need for a dedicated Roads Policing Unit on the Isle of Wight.”
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