Met Police detect 80% of mobile phone offences

Paul Rickett

Almost 80% of drivers caught using their mobile phone during a week long national enforcement campaign in November were stopped by police officers in London.

Addressing delegates at the London Road Safety Council’s Centenary Conference on 24 January, detective chief superintendent Paul Rickett, commander of the Met Police’s Roads and Transport Policing Command, said that 6,300 of the 8,000 nationwide offenders were caught in the Capital.

Published by the NPCC the day before the conference (23 Jan), the November figure of 7,966 mobile phone offences was the highest ever total for a week of enforcement on driver distraction.

More than 7,800 fixed penalty notices were issued as part of the campaign, as well as hundreds of verbal warnings and 68 court summons.

At the time the results were announced, Suzette Davenport, the National Police Chief’s Council’s (NPCC) lead for roads policing, was upbeat about the campaign. Ms Davenport described the results as ‘encouraging’ and showing ‘how effective new tactics and innovative approaches can be’.

DCS Rickett, however, said claims of a concerted effort across England and Wales were premature if the other 42 police forces ‘could only produce 1,500 or so between them’.

The Met Police Roads and Transport Policing Command oversees policing on London’s road and transport network. It works in partnership with, and is significantly funded by, TfL. The Command’s remit is to tackle transport related crime, improve road safety, and reduce the number of traffic related injuries and deaths on London’s roads.

DCS Rickett’s presentation provided an overview of the role of the Command in the TfL partnership for casualty reduction.

02 February 2017