Community Speedwatch FAQs
Please find below the answers to some commonly asked questions about Community Speedwatch.
Community Speed Watch is a community operated initiative designed to allow volunteers to officially monitor and report to the Police details of speeding vehicles in areas of concerns to the community. Community Speed Watch is not enforcement.
The CSW scheme allows members of the community to address speeding issues by becoming actively involved in road safety, using speed detection equipment to monitor speeds from safe locations.
Whilst all of the road safety partners are working together to achieve casualty reduction targets and reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, we cannot expect police officers to carry out enforcement checks in every community on a regular basis. This is where Community Speed Watch can help by working with the partnership.
Our aim is not to catch as many speeding drivers as possible, but to raise awareness that excessive speeds are socially unacceptable. We aim to reduce speed in areas of concern and address issues from communities by raising awareness.
Community Speed Watch volunteers monitor vehicles from designated sites which have been risk assessed and approved by the police. Our volunteers use a police approved hand-held speed detection device to check the speed of vehicles and any vehicles recorded driving over 24mph in a 20mph limit, over 35 mph in a 30mph limit, and over 46mph in a 40mph limit, are recorded on a monitoring sheet. The details recorded are time, date, site, vehicle body type (car, van, tractor, motorcycle etc), colour, registration and speed.
These details are sent to the Community Speed Watch administration team for processing. A PNC (Police National Computer) check is run on the vehicle and the registered keeper of the vehicle is contacted and a letter sent to the registered address.
These details are held and accessed in line with the restrictions imposed by the Data Protection and Management of Police Information guidelines and GDPR.
Your details will be stored on a standalone database for two years, after which time they will be deleted. Under certain circumstances, your details may be stored in additional police databases.
No, for this specific incident we will be taking no further action. The Community Speed Watch scheme is about education, not prosecution. Therefore, you are not being prosecuted, nor will you receive any points or penalty fees in relation to this incident.
No, you do not need to inform your insurance provider.
This is a second warning. If you continue to break the speed limit and are caught additional times, we may pass your details to our Community Policing Team for action. If you heed the advice in both warning letters, then no further action will be taken against you.
You should make the driver aware of the contents of the letter and any other material enclosed. Community Speed Watch monitors vehicles, not drivers, so it would be advisable to inform all users of the vehicle of the warning.
You should contact the Community Speed Watch team at [email protected] (please quote “FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED” in your email subject). They will check on the Police National Computer to ensure the change is reflected. If you have not already done so, please update the DVLA.
Community Speed Watch only sends letters to vehicles travelling faster than the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) guidelines suggests (10% of the speed limit +2). The information passed to us is collected manually by volunteers.
Unfortunately, on occasions we understand that Community Speed Watch volunteers, who are trained and supported by the police, will make mistakes. We apologise if this is the case. As the scheme is focused on education rather than formal enforcement, there is no need for you to refute the allegation.
There are a number of processes in place to verify the registration of the speeding vehicle. On the rare occasion a warning letter is sent out by mistake. If this is the case, the registered keeper details will be removed from the Community Speed Watch database. To start this process, please contact [email protected], remembering to quote “FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED” in the subject of the email.
Community Speed Watch operators have strict guidelines to adhere to and are expected to maintain a professional approach to monitoring. If you feel that this is not the case, please contact [email protected]. Remember to quote “FURTHER INFORMATION REQUIRED” in the subject to guarantee a response.
This information is kept secure in the interest of staff and volunteer safety and will not be disclosed.
No. The information passed to us by Community Speed Watch volunteers is a manual collection. The device used does not record any footage, nor does it take photographs. It simply provides the user with the speed of the vehicle on the display settings.
The device used by all Community Speed Watch teams in Wiltshire is the Unipar SL700 (a Home Office approved device). As Community Speed Watch is not a scheme used for prosecution, the devices are calibrated every three years, in line with the manufacturer guidelines.
Communities across Wiltshire want to be involved in the battle to reduce speeds and are happy to donate time to assist the police. All police volunteers are trained, supported and insured. As members of the extended police family, they also have backing from Wiltshire Police and are representatives of our service. Should any police volunteer be abused or intimidated, the offender will be dealt with according to criminal law.
The Community Speed Watch team will be able to provide you with all the information you need to start up a new location. Please click this link Community Speedwatch | Wiltshire Police for more information.