Volunteer police officers lead Torbay road safety crackdown targeting 'Fatal Five'
Special Constables stopped dozens of motorists across Torbay during a day of action aimed at reducing serious collisions, with offences ranging from mobile phone use to worn tyres and missing MOTs.
Volunteer police officers took to the roads across Torbay last week as part of a dedicated road safety operation targeting the "Fatal Five" offences most likely to cause death or serious injury.
Special Constables carried out the traffic enforcement day on Friday 3 July, stopping motorists in Paignton, Torquay and Brixham to educate drivers and tackle dangerous behaviour behind the wheel.
The operation focused on the Fatal Five offences, which include excessive or inappropriate speed, failing to wear a seatbelt, using a mobile phone while driving, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, and driving while medically unfit or with poor eyesight.
During the day, officers dealt with a range of offences, including one driver found with two dangerously worn tyres, two motorists reported for not wearing seatbelts, four vehicles without a valid MOT, three without vehicle tax and one driver caught using a mobile phone behind the wheel.
A further 15 drivers received words of advice relating to their driving or vehicle defects.
Temporary Special Inspector Adam Carter said the operation provided valuable experience for volunteer officers while supporting wider road safety work across South Devon.
He said: "This operation provided Special Constables with the opportunity to enhance their operational experience in traffic enforcement, focusing on proactive roads policing activity across Paignton, Brixham and Torquay.
"The aim was to support casualty reduction and target key offences, including the Fatal Five. We also had support from colleagues on the Exeter Roads Policing Team."
The operation took an unexpected turn when officers were called away to deal with other incidents across the area.
Inspector Carter added: "The team played their part in wider operational issues outside of this operation, which included attending serious incidents, including a fatal road traffic collision in South Devon.
"Additionally, two officers stayed on after the traffic operation had finished and, during their long shift, provided lifesaving CPR after being flagged down by a member of the public in Paignton."
Special Constables are unpaid volunteers who have the same policing powers as regular officers, including the power of arrest. They wear the same uniform and carry the same equipment as full-time police officers.
There are currently 27 Special Constabulary officers volunteering across South Devon, with 156 Specials serving across the Devon and Cornwall force area.
In May and June alone, South Devon's Special Constables contributed 2,158 volunteer duty hours supporting frontline policing.
Police are continuing to encourage motorists to drive safely and remind the public that dangerous driving can be reported through Operation Snap, which allows members of the public to submit dashcam footage of suspected traffic offences.