Just six months after the Metropolitan police abolished its commercial vehicle unit, news has emerged of plans to scrap its road policing unit, prompting former senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell (pictured) to slam the move as “foolhardy”.
The unit specialises in responding to and investigating road-traffic accidents across Greater London and also works alongside other departments to prevent and detect crime on the roads.
According to a report in The Telegraph, the plan is part of cost cutting measures by the Met, which could see the Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) disbanded and its responsibilities spread across other teams
Beverley Bell, who was a senior TC between 2012 and 2017, is warning that the plans would open the door to greater criminality on the capital’s roads.
Speaking to The Telegraph, she said: “So much crime takes place on our road network. This feels foolhardy in the extreme.
“It’s not just about drinking and driving: it is the use of vehicles for crime.
“I was always banging the drum about how the roads network facilitates serious and organised crime.
“It will often be the traffic cops that first spot the suspicious vehicle or get a sense that something is not quite right about a situation.
“They have built up very valuable skills over years of experience and to do away with that is short-sighted stupidity in my view.”
Hugh Bladon, founder of campaign group Alliance of British Drivers, called the move “monstrously stupid.” claiming that the Met has “abrogated road safety to cameras”.
A Met Police spokesman said: “We are looking at how the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC) can continue to deliver on the priorities that matter most to Londoners.
“While some of the changes are necessary to contribute to the significant financial savings the Met must make, others are motivated by a need for improvements to the service we provide to the public, including victims and their loved ones.
“The specific details of any changes are still being considered and will be communicated to officers, staff and key partners in due course.”
In February this year Bell slammed the Met’s decision to ditch its commercial vehicle unit, warning that the move would allow “serially and seriously non-compliant operators” to continue to operate, endangering public safety.
The Met Police said at the times the proposal was part of wider plans to create a Road Danger Reduction Team.
