Speedsters targeted by laser gun
Speed demons on a notorious stretch of road were caught out by police this week during the first of a series of 'action days'.
A group comprising Sgt Bob Prince and three police community support officers (PCSOs), from the northwest neighbourhood policing team (NPT), clocked the speed of drivers on Queens Drive for several hours on Tuesday, using a speed laser gun.
The road is a notorious speeding hotspot, and local residents have campaigned for years for it to be more stringently policed and for cameras to be installed.
Sgt Prince said it was an educational exercise.
He said: "There are several areas in Ossett where speeding is a problem – but Queens Drive is our priority at the moment. The idea of this work is to educate drivers about their speed and the possible consequences of it."
Brian Coe, chairman of Ossett and Horbury Road Safety Group, said: "This is very good news. I'm pleased they're doing something, as it has been a problem for a long time.
"I have to wonder though how effective it is when the police are doing this in uniform. When people see a group of officers in high-visibility jackets standing at the side of the road with a speed gun, they are obviously going to slow down until they've gone."
But Insp Sally Fryer said there was a legal obligation for officers to carry out the exercise in uniform – and insisted a uniformed presence acted as a deterrent in itself.
She said: "If we are in plain clothes then the cars we don't stop will never know we were doing the checks – and it is awareness of the action that will get people to slow down in the long run."
During the course of the day officers arrested a man for the theft of a motor vehicle.
And the team were also out chasing up warrants for individuals who have not paid fines.
Sgt Prince added: "We want to send out the message that people cannot evade fines, and they will be brought to justice."
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Weather for Wakefield
Saturday 19 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 10 C
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