There are now over 20 per cent fewer road police officers patrolling the streets than a decade ago, according analysis of the latest Home Office data by the RAC. But has this truly made our streets lawless and are the figures telling the whole story?
In 2015 there were 5,237 police officers across 43 forces in England and Wales whose primary role was designated as traffic policing – that includes ‘cop in car’ patrols or speed camera enforcement. Compare this to 2025, when the number has since dropped to just 4,149, and it appears as if there has been a huge drop, despite the number of cars registered in Great Britain having risen by around one fifth since then.
Reflecting on the data, the RAC’s head of policy, Simon Williams, described the situation as “at a 10-year low, which can only be seen as bad for the enforcement of motoring laws”.
Read Article