Road Policing Unit

Virtually everyone in the country uses roads every day, as drivers or as pedestrians. With 30 million vehicles in the UK, the roads are busy and hazardous. Their unlawful and anti-social use affects people's safety and sense of security. Bad road use also contributes to the large numbers of people killed and seriously injured each year on the roads.

Roads policing seeks to ensure that people can all use the roads and go about their daily life safely without being harmed or intimidated by other road users. Roads policing also seeks to deny criminals the use of roads for carrying out crime.

Road policing is therefore an important and visible commitment to protect the public and to help maintain safe communities.

Within Northamptonshire Police the lead department in relation to reducing road casualties is the Road Policing Unit (RPU). One of the key functions of the RPU is to enforce traffic legislation and encourage road user education. A programme of enforcement activity is targeted at all the major collision causation factors utilising partnership collaboration with other agencies groups and expert practitioners. All activity within this remit falls under Operation RoadSafe.

The key areas for Operation RoadSafe are:

Analysis of collision data and common causation factors
Partnership collaboration with other agencies, groups and expert practitioners
Align predetermined activity to DfT/TISPOL/ACPO calendar of campaigns
Focussed activity on Red Routes
High profile press and media involvement
Education
Intelligence led enforcement
High visibility targeted policing
Evaluate and review initiatives

Where identified road user groups form disproportionate numbers of casualties specific operations exist in order to tackle the issues. Motorcycles riders are a particularly vulnerable group and account for 22% of all casualties. Operation Biker is another police led operation and encompasses a large number of ongoing or new initiatives aimed specifically at reducing motorcycling casualties.

National initiatives such as Operations Mermaid (LGV's), Tourist (Passenger Coaches), Coachman (School Buses) and Navigate (Taxis) also receive high profile enforcement support from Northamptonshire Police.

0800 174615

A confidential 24 hour service to leave information regarding:

Vehicle Crime
Serious Traffic offences (Including Drink/Drug Driving)