Scottish force creates new road policing unit

A NATIONAL road policing unit is being created as part of Scotland’s new single force.

The reshaping of roads policing will see officers working in the Trunk Roads Patrol Unit providing traffic enforcement on major routes.

This will be reinforced by local units in all 14 divisions of Police Scotland, which becomes operational in April.

It is hoped the move will increase police presence as well as improving public safety and reducing fatalities.

The national unit will patrol motorways and major roads from ten bases across Scotland. There are currently about 600 road patrol constables and that number is expected to stay the same, but a third of them will make up the trunk roads team.

Chief Constable Steve House said the move would reinforce local policing, with divisional commanders having their own traffic unit which could be deployed quicker.

He said: “Roads safety and roads policing is one of the biggest concerns the public have and they’re quite right to because there were 176 fatalities last year on Scotland’s roads, which is a lot higher figure than the homicide figure.

“The performance of Scottish forces on road safety is very strong already and all we are doing is trying to make it that bit more efficient, that bit more focused, but certainly more local through divisional units.”

Police power struggle – Page 21