Police to train ready for truck prohibitions
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• A force of traffic police is to be trained in readiness for new legislation which will give the police the power to issue LIGVs with prohibition orders.
The proposals, currently in draft form, are expected to become law in 1992. About 1,100 police officers from forces round the UK will receive training. At present only Department of Transport vehicle examiners are allowed to issue prohibition notices, although they will remain responsible for checking vehicles before orders are removed.
Trainees will take City and Guilds courses which will include a year's study of Construction and Use regulations on top of standard traffic police training.
West Midlands officer Peter Gay, who is a staff officer for the Association of Chief Police Officers' national motorway conference, says the standard of training will ensure "power is not given out witty nilly".
The Road Haulage Association, whose North-East members met with police recently to discuss the proposals, says it is "impressed" with the suggested training standards, although initially it did not have "much faith in the mechanical expertise of police officers". Don McIntyre of the Freight Transport Association called the proposals "sensible".