Residents help local officers tackle speeding in Dronfield

PCSO Glyn Lewis with local residents and Speed Watch members Mr Ingham, centre, and Mr Godwin

Community minded residents have joined forces with Safer Neighbourhoods officers in Dronfield to tackle the issue of speeding through the town.

The Dronfield Safer Neighbourhood Team has set up a Community Speed Watch after concerns were raised by local residents about the speed motorists travelled through the town.

Residents who were interested joining the Community Speed Watch were then trained to use speed radar guns and are now conducting random speed checks throughout Dronfield with officers and PCSOs from the Safer Neighbourhood team.

Anyone caught speeding by the watch will receive a written warning informing them of the speed limit and the speed they were seen to be doing on the day of the checks.

The first of the speed checks was carried out on Wednesday, January 20, on Dronfield High Street and 28 cars were caught speeding in just two hours.

PCSO Lewis, of the Dronfield Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "The idea of the scheme is to encourage members of the public to help us highlight the speed that motorists travel through Dronfield.

"It is also to highlight and educate residents and motorists that the centre of Dronfield has a 20mph speed limit which a large number of people seem to be unaware of."

Speeding is one of the team's priority issues to tackle over the coming months and the Community Speed Watch is just one of a number of ways they are working to resolve the problem.

Further Community Speed Watch sessions will be held across Unstone and Holmesfield after the PC Heather Brown of the Rural Safer Neighbourhood Team also set speeding as one of her priorities to focus on.

To find out more about your local Safer Neighbourhood team call 0345 123 3333 or visit the website www.derbyshire.police.uk.