Is this another development of the 'Big Brother'...oops, 'Big Society', which will gradually replace statutory services for free?  What next: volunteer traffic wardens, motorway cops, flying squad..?  Mind you, I see a call has already gone out for family /friends to help out with a range of feeding/cleaning/toiletting tasks in hospitals throughout the country. Never thought I'd see the day. Sigh.

As much as I don't want people speeding through our village/town what a horrible concept this is.


Just sign below and we'll arm you with your very own Teletraffic hand held laser speed camera and DayGlo hi vis vest. Now you too can hide behind a bush or parked van and dish out SP30s like confetti. We'll even give you a lovely shiny badge so you can look important and a pocket warmer so you can harass catch those pesky motorists when it's a bit nippy out."

Since when did we start deputising citizens to police motoring offenses?

Who'll be watching the watchers, that's what I want to know!

And who'll be watching the people watching the watchers?

Is this part of Cameron's Big Brother Society, or merely an ingenious method for the gov to raise taxes without having to pay anyone else in the process?

Are the Police going to supply you with Pepper Spray and a baton just incase

Will there be a uniform? If so i'll put my wife's name down. I'm not so sure about the baton.

The pepper spray should be upgraded to a Taser.

 

 

Other areas are trying this out. This is from Hampshire police but I presume the same type of scheme would operate here:-

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/2011_speedwatch_dl_leaflet.pdf

"The best locations would be 20 mph zones and community and residentuial areas that have a 30 mph limit"

It's a scheme that has been around for a while in Essex. This is from August 2006:

http://www.essex.police.uk/museum/thelaw/n_0608lw.pdf

"Is this part of Cameron's Big Brother Society, or merely an ingenious method for the gov to raise taxes without having to pay anyone else in the process?"

Good point Adrian, and at the same time putting 'power' into the hands of the very people who maybe shouldn't have it.

"leave Police work to the Police!"

Well that is what we pay our taxes for isn't it? Not so busy bodies and wannabes can be recruited to do it for them. And on that note, if the police are intent on trying to recruit the good folk of Wivenhoe to police each other then why not post the request themselves? I find the whole way this has been gone about smacking, as Adrian said, of Mr Cameron's Big Brother Society.

"...an ingenious method for the gov to raise taxes..."

Hmmm...not sure how a speeding fine gets translated into a tax. But the idea of the scheme seems to be to issue warnings and have a visible presence and not to get to the stage of a speeding fine. I would think this must all be linked to the introduction of the 20 mph limit in lower Wivenhoe.

"Hmmm...not sure how a speeding fine gets translated into a tax."

www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/2753730/Speeding-fines-up-by-400-per-cent.html

"With the cost of a Fixed Penalty Notice having
risen from £40 to £60 in 2000, this has meant that the cash raised
increased from £28.5 million to £106.4 million.

A Telegraph article highlighting a Tory press release from 2008 doesn't make a speeding fine a tax though! At least the article had the grace to end with a bit of sense...

"Independent research has shown that there are 1,745 fewer
deaths and serious injuries at camera sites each year. The Government is
clear that the best safety camera is one which takes no fines at all,
but succeeds in deterring drivers from speeding."

There are plenty of videos on Youtube that explain this scheme in greater detail.

Here's one from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary



...it really doesn't seem to have revenue creation as its primary motivation.

Why stop at speeding? If we are going to use the good folk of Wivenhoe to do the police's job for free why not also issue them with Maglites and Essex Police branded notebook and pen sets to sneak around at night checking that their neighbour's cars have valid tax disks or their tyre thread is still within the legal limit?

IMHO there are better ways of slowing down traffic than deputising local busy bodies.

Who are these 'good folk of Wivenhoe' - I think we should be told so we can forewarn them about this nefarious plan!

Good point Marika. Never met any myself but I'm sure they are out there!

"nefarious" means evil doesn't it ? Are we really saying....?

I'm always up for reporting 'taxed' out of date vehicles, but quite frankly having Joe Public stand somewhere along The Avenue pointing a speed gun at said motorist just will not work, however getting Plod to stand somewhere along The Avenue pointing a speed gun just may discourage speeding.

Imagine the takin's - something glorious !

There is a degree of hypocrisy and dual standards here which I find difficult to believe.

Scenario 1 - neighbourhood watch report someone breaking into property - wonderful community spirit well done
Scenario 2 - speeding driver reported - make fun of local "busy bodies"

Both of the above can cause damage to property, upset and in one case injure or kill

Speeding is not a joke - if society condemns one crime (and I use the word deliberately) how can another be accepted.

I do not see why any volunteer who acts to deter behaviour that is unacceptable in our society should be mocked for their contribution

Explain that the next time a child is injured on the streets of our town.

Scenario 1 - From the Direct Gov website - "Members look out for signs of crime in their own neighbourhoods, and share that information with each other and local police."

Scenario 2 - Members stand in the street with the hope that a crime will occur and, in the event that is does, collect the evidence using measuring and recording equipment supplied to them by the police and fulfill a role that the police receive funding from our taxes to perform on our behalf.

Scenario 1 is about vigilance. Scenario 2 is about crime fighting. To me there is a big difference, and in any case I believe that permanent traffic calming measures are a far more effective way of enforcing speed limits than occasional portable or hand held speed cameras. And as a parent myself disagreeing with the method employed does not mean that I would wish to see a child, or anyone else for that matter, injured in our streets.

Edited to add : Just after I moved to Wivenhoe a child was hit by a car and killed in one of our streets. It was the most appalling tragedy and in all these years whenever I drive over the spot where it happened I have always thought of that horrible loss of such a young life and the pain and anguish of the parents. So I am VERY much in favour of slowing down traffic in the streets where are children walk to school and ride their bikes. But no matter how many times I see a speed camera on The Avenue there are other times when I see cars racing down there, and even more insanely the cars that race down the High Street below the Spicer McColl office. Occasional speed traps will not stop these idiots and they cannot be everywhere at once, only effective and permanent traffic calming measures can achieve this.

Nefarious: I clearly failed to convey the intended sarcasm :(
FWIW I think people should be left to decide for themselves whether they think this is a good or a bad thing and whether or not they wish to take part.
Politics may be fun but their discussion tends to raise the temperature in the best of families and, as this is not exactly an exclusively local issue, it seems pointless to generate a heated debate about it here.

No idea where "hope" came from? Seems more like an opinion than a direct quote.

If I may quote as well, from the Essex Casualty Reduction Board

"Community Speed Watch is a traffic monitoring scheme that is
co-ordinated by Essex Police and supported by the partnership but it is
managed and run by volunteers in the community.

The aim of Community Speed Watch is to address the problem of either
real or perceived speeding. This is done in partnership with the
community in order to reduce the number of injuries from road traffic
collisions."

I really don't think there is a big difference.

Permanent calming measures are an important tool but any action is better than none which is where we are at the moment.  If these were in place I would agree that Speed Watch may be a poor substitute but it has been shown to have effects in some areas.

To be honest my main concern comes from statistics - within 30mph limits in 2010 more than 250 people were killed - even if less than half were as the result of speeding that is still higher than the number of murders in the same year. 

Simon - don't misunderstand me - I am totally with you on the need for proper calming measures - I just objected to the number of adverse comments being made regarding volunteers in this initiative.

"Scenario 2 - Members stand in the street with the hope that a
crime will occur and, in the event that is does, collect the evidence
using measuring and recording equipment supplied to them by the police
and fulfill a role that the police receive funding from our taxes to
perform on our behalf."

Come on Simon, don't do that. You're supposed to be a journalist, please try to remain objective.
You know better than to assume people trying to prevent speeding are hoping it will happen. If there's someone standing by the roadside in a high-visibility jacket holding a radar-gun, it'll act as a deterrent against speeding; it doesn't matter if it's a police officer or old Mr. Miggins.  Trying to vilify people for their community spirit and altruism is unhelpful.

Mike, I've never said I am, or purported to be a, journalist, and even if I was I am entitled to my own point of view. I do a few interviews, write a few gig reviews (I'm not a musician either) and occasionally write about any other subject that interests me. If you are after a journalist you need to talk to Roddy Ashworth. I post on here as myself and I don't have to be objective because I'm expressing my opinions. And my opinion is that I find the idea of a society where the police recruit and deputise the public to do their job for them abhorrent.

And what happens when the well-meaning retired gentleman zaps some likely lad, who is already on the verge of a ban, with his speed gun? The guy stops to remonstrate with him, and ends up assaulting him. A couple of years ago I had to restrain a guy until the police arrived, who I witnessed assaulting a female traffic warden who had just given him a ticket. It happens. But the difference between our volunteer and the traffic warden is that the warden is being paid and is doing their job, the volunteer is not.

I am against this scheme on all levels. I do not agree with the police recruiting the public to do their job for them. I do not think that this is an effective way to slow traffic down in our town. And I do not think that members of the public should be put in potentially dangerous situations - we pay the police to enforce the laws of this land.

Simon, just out of curiosity: are you also against Special Constables?

''And what happens when the well-meaning retired gentleman zaps some likely lad, who is already on the verge of a ban, with his speed gun? The guy stops to remonstrate with him, and ends up assaulting him.''

Exactly - we all have experiences of other drivers not driving to the letter of the law (all of us is included in that sweeping comment), can you really see the 'offended driver' taking heed and changing their driving habits. I can see him/her pulling over and going back and lumping said volunteer.

Best leave it to Plod.

If I had my way I would proscecute every driver that drove with their fog lamps on - but's that another story.

Marika, you beat me to it - As well as Special Constables I was also thinking St Johns Ambulance, Lifeboat, Mountain Rescue , Magistrates etc - all volunteers helping their community in parallel with paid services.

As I tried to explain earlier I am not trying to discuss the merits of Speedwatch - but merely to defend individuals who are prepared to support the community in which I live.  I appreciate the work of volunteers whether or not I support their chosen field of activity - I do not think that is relevant.

As for the potential retired gentleman subject to attack - every speedwatch group I have passed is exactly that - a group.  The idea of a vulnerable individual being exposed alone is unlikely.   And the idea that it is acceptable for someone being paid to be "thumped" but not a volunteer is ridiculous.  That action is equally unaceptable against any person.

And on a lighter note!

I would suspect that traffic calming measures other than this along the length of the Avenue could prove difficult to implement.

Humps and chicanes are expensive (about £800+ per hump) and implementation on the main route into town does raise other issues.

Humps cause problems for bus travel with discomfort to passengers, cause environmental issues for residents from noise and vibration and require additional signage etc - imagine a snow plough at full tilt hitting one.

The Avenue is also a primary route into town for emergency services that have to travel above the limits on occasion and imagine the effects on patients, fire crew and police at speed.  Humps may be practical in lower Wivenhoe and on side roads but I cannot see the use of these on the main routes.

That is why I believe speedwatch is better than nothing.

Thanks Marika for clarifying the "nefarious" point. You're right, I didn't pick up on the sarcasm, which of course changes the whole meaning of your post once you realise that.

I think there is a misunderstanding about what this scheme is trying to do.  If you haven't already done so I do urge people to take a look at the video posted above. It really isn't about kerbside altercations involving angry drivers and power hungry busy bodies. It is primarily an awareness and monitoring campaign. Anyone found to be speeding receives a warning letter, and if they turn out to be a persistent speeder they are informed that their details are being passed onto the Road Policing Unit. They will then be kept on record and a decison can be taken as to whether to take further action at a later date. If the evidence in the video is to be believed it certainly seems to have delivered positive results.

"Simon, just out of curiosity: are you also against Special Constables?"

Marika, special constables are given training; provided with uniforms and equipment with which to protect themselves, restrain suspects and call for assistance; swear an oath at court and have the same powers as regular police. Perhaps it is they who should be operating this scheme...

"As for the potential retired gentleman subject to attack - every
speedwatch group I have passed is exactly that - a group.  The idea of a
vulnerable individual being exposed alone is unlikely.   And the idea
that it is acceptable for someone being paid to be "thumped" but not a
volunteer is ridiculous.  That action is equally unaceptable against any
person."

Andrew - I didn't say the 'retired gentleman' would be working alone. People do get thumped in front of witnesses you know, sometimes even people they are working with. And what is ridiculous is to twist what I said to suggest that I am saying it is acceptable for someone to be thumped because they are being paid. My point is that there are people who will resort to violence when they feel justified, and it is the police not the general public who are equipped, and have the powers, to deal with them.

I wondered about the Special Constables when you said 'I do not think that members of the public should be put in potentially dangerous situation' and of course Specials are one example of members of the public who voluntarily put themselves in that situation; no-one is putting them in it.

But Simon the schemes that are in operation in other parts of the country and also in Essex do not entail the kind of direct contact with speeding drivers that you are imagining. Its primary focus is about making drivers aware of the speeds they should be driving at and monitoring the speeds that vehicles are travelling at.

I'm not really sure what my views are on this topic but I thought some of you might find this article somewhat amusing

Naked cyclist streaks through Suffolk village

'Fun' two-wheeled wheeze ends in conditional discharge

By Lester Haines

Posted in Bootnotes, 27th May 2011 09:01 GMT

A Suffolk man has discovered [1] to his cost that the courts do not consider cycling naked through sleepy villages a "fun" activity for a Monday afternoon.

Alexander Purser, 23, was driving through Acton, near Sudbury, on 7 June last year when he "spotted a community speed watch group in a lay-by on the side of the road".

He went home, stripped off, jumped on his bike wearing nothing more than his specs and a pair of trainers, and headed back to entertain the speed trap vigilantes. He later explained he "wanted to see if he could reach 30 miles and hour on his bike naked while travelling through the speed trap".

Purser clarified to Bury St Edmunds Magistrates' Court earlier this week: "I thought it would be fun, both for me and the people manning the speed watch."

Locals disagreed, and quickly racked up a series of 999 calls alerting cops of Purser's proximity to Acton Primary School. Shaken witness Brenda Bailey told the court: "There are a lot of young children in that village and I am sure they wouldn't want to see somebody cycling naked."

Wayne Bird, who also copped an eyeful, reported: "I saw a male on a bike with absolutely nothing on, not even a pair of socks. It was like he was having a slow stroll on his bike. I found it very disgusting, knowing all the children all the children were just about to come home from school."

Purser later confessed to being the naked cyclist when police officers confronted him at his home. He insisted he'd checked his watch before venturing out in order to ensure he had enough time to complete a circuit of Acton before wide-eyed kiddies disgorged from the primary school.

Exposing his credentials to nippers would have been "totally inappropriate", he admitted.

Defending Purser in court, the aptly-named Paul Booty claimed his client had not intended to cause "alarm or distress". He described the whole stunt as a "a jolly good wheeze".

The co-ordinator of the speed watch group, Vincent Humphries, tended to agree. The 61-year-old told the court: "It's not every day you see something like that. I was laughing. It didn't offend me at all."

Magistrates, however, decided that it was "likely Purser was aware his actions would have caused alarm or distress", and slapped him with an 18-month conditional discharge and £500 costs.

"I fail to see how anyone could reasonably condemn the scheme on this ground."

Because, however is it presented, and I take on board everything you and Roger have said, I fundamentally disagree with the public doing the police's job for them. It's as simple as that.

"Locals disagreed, and quickly racked up a series of 999 calls alerting cops of Purser's proximity to Acton Primary School."

My father used to live in the house next door to the school... if my step-mother reads this I'm sure she'll be very sorry they moved...

Technology can play a big part in this, bit alas at a cost.

Wivenhoe currently has fixed illuminated sign that illuminates when a vehicle exceeds a set point speed.

Simple eh.

Technology is currently commercially avialable and and used in various formats within an R&D environment. Simple - whereas a camera is fitted within the housing or structure of the sign, the output to illuminate the sign also triggers the camera to take a photo, no calibration road markings are required. This is then transmitted via Wifi.

This could then be downloaded and letter sent to the alleged offender in the same way as described by RogerMainwood.

Jobs a carrot.

We have a visual deterant (the illuminated sign) and a process to let the person know that they have been naughty !

We have a viable, tried and tested solution, but then again volunteers are alot cheaper.

I would apologise if anyone thinks I have twisted their words, but I have been responding to the meanings conveyed to a reasonable reader in the context of the whole discussion, and not to the actual sentences.

Regarding the "elderly gentleman" this came from a paragraph where every mention was in the singular - there was no mention of a group so why should I assume this in a situation that was set out unclearly and was designed for an emotive response in respect of the vulnerable person.

And regarding whether or not it was acceptable to thump a paid officer - the implication was in the statement otherwise it had no purpose being made.  The comparison becomes superfluous if both actions are equally unacceptable so there no point in making it.

I've had enough of this one - it started off as an appeal for volunteers but has run and run beyond the original thread - I'll let it drop

Looks like the scheme is already up and running in Wivenhoe. There is an interactive map on this Essex Police web site ( http://www.essex.police.uk/be_safe/speeding.aspx )  and a Wivenhoe Community Speedwatch session took place on the Colchester Road last month  : 

I've asked PCSO Louise Neville, the Community Support Officer for Wivenhoe, to provide some more information. In particular it would be good to know what are the stretches of road in Wivenhoe that are causing concern and have resulted in this call for volunteers going out.

And zooming in on the map reveals there were actually two monitoring sites earlier this year...

And if we'd kept our eye on Jason's excellent reporting on his Onionblog we would be aware that the Wivenhoe Community Speedwatch scheme has been underway for some time !  http://onionbagblog.com/tag/louise-neville/
(the relevant section is towards the end of the article)

Jason's report was of a meeting in August 2011 of the Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Action Panel and he reported that Speedwatch took place "on five occasions over the past three months apparently."

More on the Wivenhoe NAP here:- http://www.wivenhoe.gov.uk/Community_Safety/WNAP-home.htm
Speedwatch volunteers were being sought as far back as September 2008

From this thread I gather that:

Ha ha! wouldn't that be great.
I've heard of 'slow food' but a slow village - now that....

Wivenhoe currently has fixed illuminated sign that illuminates when a vehicle exceeds a set point speed

The one near The Flag ?
It doesn’t stop (some) car drivers heading into Wiv regularly overtaking cyclists on that blind bend though..   .....the blind bend where there was a fatal accident a few years back.

Biker, without taking a walk in that direction to check: isn't that sign after the blind bend?
If so, perhaps it would make sense to request its relocation.

isn't that sign after the blind bend?

Hmmm
The point I wished to make was that if someone is silly enough to risk overtaking on a blind bend, I doubt an illuminated speed sign (before or after the bend) is going to get them to see sense

Got you. I thought Fatcat only highlighted the sign as a possible vehicle for new technology that could be effective in achieving speed reduction, though, not to say the sign was effective that way?

An email reply from Police Sergeant Lou Middleton about the Speedwatch scheme in Wivenhoe and how it came about. Speeding certainly seems to be a perceived problem for residents in Wivenhoe. It came second, after parking, in the list of concerns raised during the door to door survey conducted in Wivenhoe recently in preparation for the Community Day of Action that is happening tomorrow (November 24th) :

"The initiative to form a Community Speed Watch came from the Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Action Panel a couple of years ago.  Members of the community raised their concerns relating to speeding vehicles in Wivenhoe.  It has taken a while to get a group of volunteers together and trained but we would always welcome more volunteers.
 
The volunteers have focused on some locations that have been identified by the community as problem areas.
 
The next Wivenhoe Neighbourhood Action Panel will be on Tuesday 13 December 2011 at 1900 in the Wivenhoe Town Council meeting room."

Police Sergeant 1463 Lou Middleton
Neighbourhood Sergeant
St Andrews/St Anne’s NPT
Wivenhoe NPT
Eastern District

I'm really surprised by a lot of the comments on here. Surely we're on this forum because we appreciate the idea of a 'community' where ideas and info are shared to make this little town a better and safer place to be.

With all the budget cuts and current state of the economy affecting all levels of society, surely asking for volunteers to stand around on a pavement for a few hours, gives the already stretched Police force the time and space to get on with other aspects of their work. Maybe the folks that are complaining would rather shell out more of their hard earned wages in the form of tax to pay for this to be done by qualified officers instead.

Anything that reduces speeding in Wivenhoe has got to be a good thing. It always makes me laugh at those who complain about speed cameras, there's a simple solution. Drive safely and you won't get nicked. Maybe that'll flash through  your mind next time your flying through the air after getting hit by a car. If your lucky enough, hopefully you'll live through it. Your chances of doing that are pretty much directly (inversley) proportional to the speed  of the car that hit you...

Just saying.

Robbo, that's quite a spin you've put on things there. Disagreeing with a means for enforcing the law here in Wivenhoe does not make anyone any the less community spirited, nor does it mean anyone is condoning speeding... here or anywhere else.

[groan] just when you thought it was safe to come out to play again...! [/groan]