20.01.2015

Roads And Transport Policing Command Created

A new Metropolitan Police team has been created to tackle safety and security on London's roads.

The Roads and Transport Policing Command will see more than 2,300 officers working with Transport for London, combining the work previously undertaken by the Met's Operational Command Unit and the Safer Transport Command.

Officers will work to drive down crime, congestion and collisions as part of the Mayor of London's plans to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the capital's roads by 40% over the next five years.

Public transport safety will be one of main priorities of the team, which will draw most of its funding from Transport for London. According to Cdr Stephen Watson of the Metropolitan Police, there were 2,000 fewer victims of crime on London's bus network during the last year.

"Improving roads and public transport safety is one of my top priorities," said Mayor Boris Johnson.

"This new command means that for the first time ever we now have a single team focusing on doing just that."

Expert Opinion

The number of serious injuries and fatalities on London’s roads is unacceptable and the announcement of a dedicated team to tackle the safety issues is a welcome step forward. We hope the new team will be able to significantly reduce the number of collisions on London’s roads. <br/> <br/>“It is also vital those using London’s roads take responsibility for their actions and remain vigilant at all times, as a split second loss of concentration can have devastating consequences, as we have seen all too often. <br/> <br/>“In our work we have represented a number of people who have suffered serious and life-changing injuries as a result of road collisions and we hope that this new team dedicated to road safety issues will help reduce the number of incidents and prevent more people suffering in the same way.” Colin Ettinger - Consultant