More than 800 speeding drivers caught as part of new Safer Roads initiative

Hundreds of speeding motorists have been caught as part of a new approach to help make our roads safer.

Thanks to funding from Police and Crime Commissioner Donna Jones for equipment supporting two specialist motorcyclists armed with speed cameras, officers can now better tackle speeding drivers on residential roads that were previously inaccessible for traditional camera vans.

This means that more roads than ever within our communities will be part of our targeted patrols to tackle motorists risking lives on our streets.

These motorcyclists are part of a new joint Safer Roads initiative led by Roads Policing Teams, supporting the PCC’s commitment to improving road safety across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

To slash the number of people injured and killed on our roads, officers have worked with communities to identify high-harm hotspots for road-related incidents within our more residential and rural areas.

Using collision data from across the force, the teams are working with local partners to tackle unique issues to individual communities, whether that is through more speed checks, changes to road layout, road signage or education of road users.

Roads Policing officers will join forces with local Neighbourhood Teams to deploy a number of different tactical options, including the motorbikes and drones.

Then once work is done in one area to make roads safer, new locations will be identified and become the focus for this collaborated action.

As part of National Road Safety Week, we wanted to share with you the results of this work to date. So far, our specialist motorcyclists have reported nearly 850 offences at the first locations identified through this initiative.

This work will go alongside our regular patrols on key arterial routes and our commitment to disrupting anti-social behaviour, through our Op Chromium initiative.

Tackling anti-social driving is an issue we take very seriously, especially when it comes to illegal car meets. Which is why over the last year we have had 54 cases sent to court, 76 drivers handed Fixed Penalty Notices, 69 penalty points issued and more than £13,000 in fines handed out.

You can read more about our work in this area here: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/hampshire/news/news/2025/october-2025/dangerous-drivers-sentenced-as-force-cracks-down-on-illegal-car-meets/

PCC Donna Jones said: “Speeding and dangerous driving are one of the biggest concerns I hear from residents, especially in rural and residential areas. Over 55% of people who responded to my Police and Crime Plan consultation told me tackling road safety must be a priority, and I’ve listened.

“The new Safer Roads initiative strengthens the Roads Policing Unit and means officers can now target the places where speeding, dangerous driving, and anti-social use of vehicles like illegal car meets are putting lives at risk and causing disruption to communities.

“Every serious injury or death on our roads is one too many. This is about protecting families, saving lives, and making sure every road, from busy towns to quiet villages, is safer for everyone.”

PS Jamie Dobson, Road Safety Sergeant for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary Roads Policing Unit, added: “Sadly, our teams see every day the devastating impact that collisions have on those involved and the ripple effect that has on communities, whether that is due to speeding, drink or drugs, no seatbelts or inattention.

“We want everyone to feel safe on all roads, whether that is driving to work, dropping your children off at school, or just walking around your neighbourhood.

“Our teams are out every day making our roads safer but now we will have a particular focus and individualised plans for residential and rural areas, as well as our main arterial routes.

“Supported by these new motorbikes, we will ensure that our teams can get to the more hard-to-reach roads, that our speed camera vans are just too big for.

“This new collaborative approach is targeting specific roads our residents have raised concerns about and some of the recorded speeds we have already seen have been alarmingly high.

“But while we will work around the clock to target motorists committing road-related offences, using a variety of tactics, including drones, we know our work in isolation will not resolve the issues.

“That’s why we hope that this joined-up initiative, with the Police and Crime Commissioner and our partners taking the lead in other key areas to support our safer roads mission, will result in real results for our communities.”