Community Speedwatch

Community Speedwatch (CSW) is a road safety initiative that’s coordinated by Kent Police and run by local communities. Trained volunteers monitor the speeds of vehicles using approved ‘speed indication devices’ (SIDs).

The aim of the initiative is to:

• reduce death and injury on the roads
• improve the quality of life for local communities
• reduce the speed of vehicles to the speed limit
• increase public awareness of inappropriate speed 

A list of registered Speedwatch schemes is available. Some schemes may not be live or active, please email us for more information about existing schemes.

Setting up a scheme

A scheme can be set-up when speeding traffic has been flagged as a concern by a local resident, parish council or a neighbourhood team.

It's free to start a Speedwatch scheme. We will provide the third-party insurance cover, hi-visibility jackets, and access to our website to report speeding offences.

Typically, a roadside session lasts for one hour, but this can be determined by the group at the roadside.

To set-up a CSW scheme, the following criteria must be met:

• it must be for roads with speed limits of 20, 30 or 40 miles per hour (mph)
• at least one resident should want to volunteer, but ideally, there should be between 2 to 20 volunteers
• volunteers must be aged 18 years and over
• volunteers must undertake online training to give them insurance cover when at the roadside
• speed monitoring must be set-up on locations that are safe and suitable for all road users and volunteers
• locations must be pre-approved by Kent Police Speedwatch
• the local parish council or community group should be made aware and kept informed of all plans

Once this criteria has been met, email our team and we will help you start up your scheme.

If it's raining, icy, foggy or misty, Speedwatch may not be permitted to be operated as the skid risk is higher. Speedwatch sessions can operate anytime throughout the day, 30 minutes after sunrise and 30 minutes before sunset. They cannot operate at night.

Speed Indication Devices (SIDs)

There are many types of suitable SIDs available. Kent Speedwatch may be able to loan you SID equipment, if available. New schemes often buy their own device or arrange to share one with another nearby scheme. New SIDs cost around £2,000. We do not make commercial recommendations.

Alternatively:

• some parish and local councils will help by part-funding through a small grant, or by arranging to provide access to a SID that they already own or share with a neighbouring Speedwatch scheme
• you might be able to arrange access to a SID from your district council
• your local PCSO (police and community safety officer) or community warden might get you access to SID equipment held by the Neighbourhood Police team or Community Safety Unit

Handheld speed detection devices

We allow the use of handheld devices. These devices do not give feedback of speed to drivers. Instead, they generate a warning notice for vehicles that are caught exceeding the limit. Advice and guidance can be given to groups wishing to use handheld devices as not all devices are suited to every road.

Community Speedwatch cameras

We have started a trial for unattended Speedwatch cameras. These new devices automatically take an image of a speeding vehicle and sends it to a cloud server. We will then validate the registration number and send a warning letter to the driver. These cameras will be used to support traditional roadside activities with operators using the equipment, as detailed above, to record speeds at the side of the road. They will not replace them.

What happens with the Speedwatch data?

We collect the data about vehicle speeds and assess it. If problems with speeding and dangerous driving are shown, appropriate action is taken. This may include:

• raising the issues with Kent County Council Highways officers and Medway Council Highway officers
• enforcing speed limits with help from the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership and our Special Constabulary
• enforcing road safety laws using local officers 

Drivers caught speeding are sent warning letters. Where drivers have been seen on four occasions in a 12-month period in Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, Devon, and Cornwall, police officers will visit the driver at their address.

All vehicles are checked for tax and MOT. Any vehicles without these, may have action taken against them. Letters sent to owners will also check for that their insurance is valid.

Alan Watson, Kent Police Community Speedwatch Manager:

The aim of the scheme is not to catch as many speeding drivers as possible, but to encourage them to drive within the speed limit. Feedback from our group members suggests that motorists visibly slow down when they see the volunteers by the roadside carrying out speed monitoring. In many local areas where Community Speedwatch is already in place, residents have seen a positive change in driver behaviour and compliance with the speed limit and we look forward to replicating those results across more areas in the future.