Operational partnerships - Speed watch SOP (R02c)

R02c Speed Watch
Governing Policy
R02 Traffic Enforcement

1. Summary of changes

1.1 The following amendments have been made to this Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) in August 2025:
• Paragraphs 2.4 amended;
• Paragraph 2.4, 2.5 moved to 3.29 merged into 3.28
• Paragraph 3.30 added.

2. What this Procedure is About

2.1. Community Speedwatch (referred to as CSW) is an education-centred initiative which encourages members of the public to reduce their speed to within legal limits whilst driving in their local communities and thereby improve road safety and the quality of life within them.

2.2. Operating at risk assessed locations on roads in 20, 30 or 40 miles per hour (mph) speed limits, a group of no fewer than two and no more than five CSW practitioners monitor the speed of passing vehicles using approved speed measuring devices, those being a portable speed indication device (known also as SID, Unipar Dual Message Display, CA Traffic Clever/Simple SID or Unipar Genesis Speedwatch Display), or the use of an approved hand held device. (Unipar SL700, Unipar Genesis, or Bushell Radar device)

2.3. Details of vehicles travelling at or above National Police Chiefs Council thresholds (25, 35 and 46 mph accordingly) are recorded and reported. The registered keepers of vehicles observed repeatedly or ‘excessively’ speeding in the previous 12 months are then sent advisory letters by Kent Police.

2.4 Kent Police may analyse Speedwatch derived data for various intelligence applications including informing pre-planned speed enforcement campaigns

Compliance with this SOP and any governing policy is mandatory.

3. Detail the Procedure

3.1. The Chief Inspector of Citizens in Policing is responsible for the development, management, and performance of schemes within the County.

3.2 Community Speedwatch is co-ordinated through the Community Speedwatch team lead by a Speedwatch Manager, an Engagement and Enforcement Officer and supported by policy support volunteers based within the Citizens in Policing team.

3.3 Key roles and priorities for Community Speedwatch include:
• Adopt as its highest priority the safety of CSW practitioners operating at the roadside and that of passing road users;
• Assist community partners with scheme start-ups providing advice and information, carrying out site risk assessments and ensuring the mandatory safety-awareness training is available to all CSW practitioners;
• Support community partners’ Speedwatch operations, collating data, issuing letters of advice and disseminating good practice;
• Keep practitioners informed of the outcomes of their activities including details of the types and numbers of advice letters generated. To ensure timeliness, CSW practitioners should submit their roadside observations to the CSW Support as soon as practicable, to allow letters to be delivered to the registered owners within fourteen days from the date of observation.
• Provide dedicated enforcement support by utilising the Speedwatch Engagement Enforcement Officer, this support will be directed by the CSW manager and based on data from Speedwatch groups.
• Working with internal and external partners, including and not limited to Kent County Council, Parish Councils and Medway Council.

3.4 Kent Police provides registered and trained volunteers with insurance against public liability risks under its volunteer insurance policy whilst undertaking Community Speedwatch duties only.
Such insurance does not extend to undertaking traffic surveys. Volunteers are required to register personal details at http://www.communityspeedwatch.org. Cover will only be provided after volunteers have completed mandatory Speedwatch safety awareness training and only whilst they are operating at specified approved Speedwatch sites in accordance with the requirements of this SOP, safety training and the site specification sheets.

3.5 Key roles for Speedwatch community partners that might be the responsibility of one or more individuals, include:
• Lead on the formation, equipping and management of the scheme(s);
• Provision and maintenance of suitable speed measuring equipment. For practitioner safety, hand-held devices are only approved for use at certain locations and schemes by the Speedwatch Manager;
• Ensure practitioner safety training and site risk assessment needs are completed;
• Ensure sufficient numbers of safety-trained practitioners are available;
• Minimum of two and maximum of four – (five if the coordinator is training) people operating at the roadside is accepted good practice. For safety, a minimum of two must participate in every roadside session. If a session takes place where two operators are partners/husband/wife, an independent person must also be present;
• Train and use the www.communityspeedwatch.org system for arranging sessions, training and inputting roadside observations to enable CSW support to then generate any warning letters;
• Onward dissemination to their scheme’s fellow practitioners of communications (such as newsletters) sent out by CSW Support.

3.6 An application for assistance and guidance in starting a Speedwatch scheme can be made to the Community Speedwatch team by any representative of the community. CSW Support will assist where practicable in the establishment of a scheme and advise on any available funding sources, but it is not able to offer direct financial support.

3.7 Speedwatch observations are only to be made at specified roadside locations. To be specified, a site must be risk assessed by Kent Police and a site specification sheet produced and documented on www.communityspeedwatch.org.

3.8 Only practitioners who have undertaken the safety awareness training from Kent Police via www.communityspeedwatch.org may participate in roadside speed checks. Refresher training will be delivered at the discretion of the CSW Manager if required.

3.9 For safety, speed check sites are only located in correctly signed 20, 30 or 40 mph speed limits, and as part of the session pre-checks signage is to be checked to ensure that there is no obstruction due to foliage/dirt/damage/misalignment. Pre-use checks of equipment are also required to ensure the accuracy of the device recording.

3.10 Speedwatch checks only take place in daylight hours, half an hour after sunrise and half an hour before sunset. Checks are not permitted to be undertaken should the road surface be icy. If the road surface is wet from rain or it is raining, then Speedwatch sessions are not suitable to be undertaken due to the skid risk. If the weather is hot, then we must ensure that all operators are hydrated, and this is the responsibility of volunteers to check on the welfare of all operators.

3.11 For safety, Speedwatch practitioners must be 18 years and over and be physically capable of undertaking the roadside Speedwatch activities. Kent Police Volunteer Cadets may also undertake Speedwatch activities under the direction and in the presence of their Cadet Leader, this will be at Speedwatch risk assessed sites only.

3.12 Speedwatch practitioners should be aware that a common response of passing road users to their presence at the roadside is to apply the vehicle’s brakes. Therefore, practitioners should always be aware of, and strive to reduce and mitigate, the distraction that can be caused to passing road users to prevent vehicles swerving or skidding. To this end, Speedwatch practitioners are required to wear high-visibility long sleeve jackets (coloured yellow with reflective stripes, supplied by Kent Community Speedwatch) at all times, during roadside speed checks. Also, within the constraints of the sites at which they are operating, practitioners are to remain visible to approaching road users. It is important to note that none of these guidelines diminish the legal requirement for drivers to maintain proper control of their vehicles at all times.

3.13 Speedwatch practitioners should not obstruct walkways and roadways nor obstruct sightlines of the speed indication device. The presence of CSW practitioners engaged on a check should not be deliberately concealed.

3.14 Speedwatch practitioners should not attempt to stop, signal to, interact with or photograph/video any passing road users or their vehicles. The recording of sessions is permitted, no recommendation is being made by Kent Police as to the device to be used, however a requirement of High-Definition image capture is required. In the event of footage being required to be uploaded then the DAMS portal will be utilised for upload to CSW manager for review.

3.15 At the roadside, Speedwatch practitioners are required to have a functional mobile telephone readily available. For non-emergency contact, Kent Police call 101. For emergency response practitioners should dial 999. Practitioners may report roadside observations of other poor driving behaviours to Kent Police by telephone using 101 or via the Kent Police Website. If they do so, they are to advise the call taker they are involved in Speedwatch activities. Kent Police will not normally act concerning allegations of bad driving unless there is adequate evidence, and competent witnesses are prepared to provide statements and attend court if necessary.
In addition to the reporting of any incidents, and if not reported to 101/999 they are to be recorded on the system as an abusive driver depending on category, this will then notify CSW Manager of the incident, the CSW Manager is not able to take direct reports of roadside abuse, and the above reporting process is required.

3.16 The safety of both practitioners and passing road users is of the highest importance. Dynamic risk assessment (DRA) is a continuous process of identifying risk, assessing it and reducing or eliminating such risk when necessary. DRA should routinely be carried out before and during all roadside Speedwatch activity. It should assess (but not be limited to) risks from weather and lighting conditions, stationary vehicles, or other obstructions to lines of sight, road surface conditions, road works and other changed or exceptional circumstances. In carrying out a pre-speed check risk assessment, Speedwatch practitioners should be mindful of possible risks to themselves from passing road users and risks their roadside presence might present to those passing road users including pedestrians and cyclists. If a significant risk is recognised or if there is any doubt about the safety of continuing a Speedwatch, the session should not take place or be stopped immediately.

3.17 Observations of speed will be recorded on the recording form generated from www.communityspeedwatch.org, noting date, location, speed, time, registration, make and colour of vehicles observed speeding. Kent applies the nationally recognised speed thresholds for recording vehicle details, these are: 25 and above in a 20mph limit, 35 and above in a 30mph limit and 46 and above in a 40mph limit. CSW team members are also required to undertake a total vehicle count of all vehicles passing during their session in the direction of travel that they are detecting and record the figure during input. The utilisation of a recording device of the session is permitted where signs are installed, this will be permitted to compliment the manual records at the end of the session.

3.18 During the reporting process the CSW inputter can highlight various types of vehicles –

• Taxi – if a Taxi is seen exceeding the speed, they may be reported to the local licensing team
• Bus – if a bus is seen exceeding the speed, they may be reported to the Commercial Vehicle Unit.
• Emergency Service – If not on blue lights emergency service vehicle will be recorded on the system
• Motorcycle. - This will highlight the fact of a motorcycle to assist with the reporting of those offences.
• Suspicious vehicle – If seen in suspicious circumstances this will enable a possible intelligence report to be submitted. An email is required to be sent to [email protected] with details about the observation.

If the suspicious vehicle needs to be raised to the attention of the CSW support team a speed of 0 can be used, this is classed as a vehicle travelling under the speed threshold however has been acting suspiciously a notification will be sent for follow up if required.

3.19 If any drivers who pass the group are abusive to the CSW practitioners, practitioners will record that information on the system grading that abuse from:-
1 Driver made rude Gesture
2 Driver used abusive language
3 Excessive use of horn
4 Disruptive driving
5 Driver Stopped and argued
6 Driver took photos of group
7 Driver stopped and Threatened Group
8 Driver attached operator
9 Vehicle intentionally driven at group

If speeding record the speed and the grading of abuse – if not speeding use 0 as the speed.
This will be followed up with an email to the CSW support team.

If any practitioners feel DIRECTLY threatened or intimidated, they are to walk away from the equipment and situation and call 999 IN AN EMERGENCY for assistance CALL 101 OR ONLINE REPORT IF THERE IS NO EMERGENCY. If the driver is not intimidating, then hand them an explanatory notice explaining what Speedwatch is and they are approved by Kent Police.

CSW support team will assess all reports of abuse to practitioners and review for any action that may need to be taken, assessing for offences. If an offence is identified ensure that this has been recorded and reported on STORM and or Athena and the reference number provided to the practitioner.

The electronic recording of sessions is permitted using body worn video, or stand-alone cameras. The equipment is for the volunteers’ own use to safeguard volunteers and to assist with data accuracy. Any personal data collected is the responsibility of the CSW volunteer.

Kent Police have no role in the processing of the data. Personal data that is submitted to Kent Police for the investigation of an alleged offence will come under the controllership of Kent Police at the point it is submitted.

Personal data will be processed in accordance with current Information Management policies for law enforcement purposes. The use of mobile phones to record sessions is not permitted. If high-definition electronic recording devices are being used, Speedwatch Camera signs are present at the session. (available from Kent Police Speedwatch). The footage captured by groups who have used a recording device to capture the incident should be made available to Kent Police, showing the 2 minutes before and 2 minutes after the incident. The footage should be uploaded to DAMS portal where Kent Police will review and assess for potential prosecution.

Kent Police will only review footage for those abuse incidents of 5-9 listed in 3.19.

3.20 In response to volunteers’ roadside observations, Kent Police will send a letter of advice to the vehicle’s registered owner using the following criteria.
If utilising a SID device - the second and subsequent detection at any Speedwatch scheme in the county/neighbouring county if on www.communityspeedwatch.org, within the previous 12 months for speeds as mentioned in 3.17.
Where practicable, a vehicle owner will have the fourth advice letter hand-delivered by a uniformed Officer.
Any subsequent observations will then be passed for tasking to officers from Kent Police who will actively patrol the areas to deal suitably with the repetitive offending.
Speeds detected that are 50%+ above the limit (31mph and above in a 20mph limit, 45mph and above in a 30mph limit and 60mph and above in a 40mph limit) are considered ‘excessive’. These will receive a letter of advice on the first and second subsequent detections. Where practicable, a vehicle owner will have a third advice letter or, if the observation is 90% or more above the limit, any advice letter, hand-delivered by a uniformed Officer. Subsequent observations will result in active patrolling to detect further speed offences.

3.21 All vehicles recorded by CSW practitioners are checked against DVLA data, ensuring the make, colour, and registration number match, this will then progress through to letter issuing. After validation www.communityspeedwatch.org then checks all vehicles for current MOT and TAX.

3.22 If a vehicle that has been identified as having no current tax, this will be passed electronically to DVLA to advise them that the vehicle has been seen being used on the road for them to deal as the lead agency.

3.23 CSW practitioners are not permitted to use any vehicle checking websites to confirm the identity of any vehicles.

3.24 Emergency service vehicles that are seen exceeding the stated limits in 3.17 are to be recorded as an observation, unless blue lights are illuminated, in which case they are not to be recorded.

3.25 Speedwatch practitioners may determine in accordance with this policy, (in daylight), which pre-approved sites to go to and for how long to operate when at the roadside.

3.26 Kent Police may analyse Speedwatch derived data for various intelligence applications including informing pre-planned speed enforcement, this data is also available for highways authority use via their online login details, they have access to speed statistics only and not to any personal data of the CSW practitioners or owners of vehicles.

3.27 Vehicle Registration Marks (VRM) constitute the personal data of the registered keepers in as much as they relate to living individuals who can be identified from that data. The release of data that can be used to identify individuals without those individuals’ informed consent is a breach of General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and therefore unlawful. Under no circumstances should any details of speeding offences arising from CSW activity be passed into any part of the public domain by CSW practitioners however well-intentioned the reasons for doing so might be.

3.28 The utilisation of AutoSpeedwatch is permitted by Kent police, but this is on the condition that we have group roadside activity being undertaken and the data captured by AutoSpeedwatch will complement the roadside activity, ensuring that we still have the educational side of Speedwatch. The device will be funded by parish councils and the data will be supplied to Kent Police Speedwatch and they will determine how the data is utilised. The group will be required to send through a spreadsheet to [email protected] and the team will upload the observations, this email is required to be sent every two days to ensure that the data is reported in a timely manner.

3.30 The Speedwatch Manager or Engagement and Enforcement Officer can override training or restrictions placed within this policy if justified and proportionate to do so.

4. Equality Impact Assessment

4.1. An equality impact assessment shows the proposals in this procedure would have no potential or actual differential impact on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, transgender, disability, religion or belief or sexual orientation. For safety reasons, only adults aged 18 and over participate in Speedwatch at the roadside. Away from the roadside, all individuals can contribute to Speedwatch.

5. Risk Assessment

5.1. This SOP has been assessed as low risk.

6. Consultation

6.1. Operational CSW practitioners were consulted for their comments and views. The SOP was unanimously found to clearly and effectively explain and communicate the roles and responsibilities.

7. Monitoring and Review

7.1. This SOP will be reviewed every two years. Next review is due in August 2027.

8. Security

8.1. Kent Police have measures in place to protect the security of your data in accordance with our Information Management Policy (Policy W1000 – Information Management).

9. Retention and Disposal of Records

9.1. Kent Police will hold data in accordance with our Records Review, Retention and Disposal Policy (Policy W1012 – Records Review, Retention and Disposal).