Bedford Driving Lessons

SPEEDING drivers could be cautioned instead of being slapped with fines under a new strategy to focus more on front line policing. Top cop Mark Polin said he wants to steer North Wales Police away from a target-driven culture by giving officers more discretion when it comes to minor crimes and driving offences. Unlike his predecessor Richard Brunstrom, who was dubbed the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban, the new Chief Constable’s vision takes the spotlight off motorists and the amount of paperwork that diverts police away from other duties. He said the force is “renowned for taking a hard line” when it comes to speed enforcement, but his new three-year strategy aims to look at the wider issues affecting the region. At a meeting of the North Wales Police Authority yesterday, he said: “We are no longer counting the number of fixed penalty notices for speeding, we are introducing discretionary measures and issuing more cautions because officers are expected to do more in local communities.” Mr Polin said the force has “too many community beat managers (CBMs) and not enough front line officers”, who are struggling to respond to incidents. He added: “We need to look at what is taking up officers’ time and make sure they are clear on their roles and responsibilities.” More