K ent Constabulary looks after more miles of motorway than other
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force in Britain. Its patch is also the main gateway for foreign freight entering the UK. CM spoke to Chief Inspector David Pryer, who runs the traffic policing department.
Pryer is concerned that the wrong message could be sent out to cowboy operators by reports that the force has closed two of its three operating sites and cut its involvement in multi-agency roadside checks by 60%. "As a road user," he says, "I am not worried by this because I am content that the police are doing all they can in Kent to make the roads as safe as they can be within the resources we have. The number of police-only checks and stop checks has not decreased."
Kent Traffic's reduced involvement in multi-agency checks is a planned policy decision, Pryer stresses—not a knee-jerk reaction to spending cuts. "We get on very well with the VI and other agencies," he says. "But we see multi-agency checks as part of a patrolling function which they can perform very well with a reduced role from us. We are directing our resources into intelligence-led detection of offences which cause danger to the road user—including those committed by haulage firms and drivers."
In future, Pryer concludes, if the VI wants to conduct more checks it could pay for the officers it needs.