Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has agreed funding for a new police staff role to manage a service enabling road users to submit dashcam footage of dangerous driving.
The new civilian role has been assigned to Derbyshire Constabulary's Operation Capture. In a further boost to capacity the decision will enable the Roads Policing Constable currently managing the scheme to return to the frontline to help improve road safety across Derbyshire's communities.
The funding was agreed by Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster and other members of the Derby and Derbyshire Road Safety Partnership (DDRSP) at its Strategic Board meeting last month.
Operation Capture is a national scheme enabling members of the public to directly upload dashcam footage and other video evidence of dangerous driving or other traffic offences which put road users at risk.
Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: "Keeping Derbyshire's roads safe is one of my key priorities. This new post recognises the important work of Operation Capture to educate and prosecute motorists who break the law and pose a risk to other road users. It will also boost the capacity of our roads policing team by returning an officer to the frontline for proactive enforcement.
"Residents consistently tell me that dangerous driving, particularly speeding, is a worry to our communities. Operation Capture is one of the ways we can help tackle this and I know that it has been a very popular option with members of the public. Working alongside our partners, I want to make sure the force has the resources it needs to tackle these problems effectively and to give the public the peace of mind and reassurance they deserve."
The Operation Capture scheme launched in 2019 and is particularly popular with vulnerable road users such as cyclists although it can be used by anyone including horse riders, bikers and pedestrians.
Where there is clear evidence of an offence, a report will be generated and allocated to a roads policing officer for investigation with a view to pursue either prosecution, a fixed penalty notice (FPN) or offer a driver improvement course.
If no offences are evident, an educational warning letter is sent to the vehicle's registered keeper to help prevent future poor driving and protect vulnerable road users.
In 2021 alone, 905 submissions to the system were received - the highest number since its launch and 45 per cent higher than the previous year. Positive outcome rates have risen from 42 per cent in 2020 to 56 per cent in 2021 with 122 driver improvement courses issued, 47 fixed penalty notices or other out of court disposals delivered and five court prosecutions.
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