Road Policing Unit
Encyclopedia
The Road Policing Unit (RPU) is the term for the Highway patrol
within the majority of British police forces
.
RPU officers are responsible for patrolling the main motorways and large roads throughout the territorial police force
area. In addition to their general road policing duties, they assist with various operations aimed at improving road safety and are also at the forefront in tackling vehicle crime and the criminal use of the roads network. They are also available to back up other units, as they are constantly roaming an area as part of their high visibility patrolling work.
A sub-unit of the RPU is the Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) or Forensic Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Unit (FCIRU), which exists to manage the follow-up investigations into all fatal and very serious collisions. The specially-trained teams attend the scenes of all such incidents, where, amongst other things, they take numerous measurements of the final layout of the scene and examine vehicles, all in a bid to piece together the cause of the crash.
In Car Video System is fitted to both marked and unmarked traffic patrol cars and motorcycles with the aim of improving driver behaviour and road safety. It is used to detect traffic offences and to educate, advise and, if necessary, prosecute offenders.
Components of the system:
Whilst on patrol, a police officer
who observes a blatant offence or an example of bad driving can record the incident on tape. Once they have stopped the driver concerned, they can then invite the motorist to sit in the police car
, where the incident is replayed. A motorist can request a copy of the video evidence should the matter be dealt with at court.
Depending on the circumstances of the offence, the motorist can then be advised regarding their driving, cautioned or prosecuted, when the video recording can be used in court if necessary.
JAI PROVIDA 2000 is a sophisticated in-car video and speed enforcement system for 24-hour detection of traffic offences and criminal acts. System recordings can be used in court as visual evidence, including reconstruction of events.
(Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder) is a technology for determining the speed of a moving vehicle. It is used by police officers to catch speeding motorists. These devices are mounted on a patrol car's console, allowing the officer easy access to its controls. Many main roads in the UK now have horizontal lines of about two feet in length painted on the carriageway, which allow the VASCAR system to be calibrated.
VASCAR units were first fitted to police vehicles in the mid-1970s.
(ANPR) system is housed in a mobile unit. Both colour and infrared cameras are used to capture images of vehicle number plates as they pass by. The index number is read automatically and checked against a number of databases (including DVLA) held on computer.
If a match is made to a vehicle of police
interest, the ANPR operator receives an alarm. The operator can then alert other officers to stop the vehicle. The process from reading the number plate to an alarm notification takes less than two seconds.
ANPR technology is available commercially and is being adopted by many businesses as a means of fighting crimes such as petrol station drive-offs and credit card
fraud. There are other applications such as improved security in car parks.
T5, Vauxhall Omega, BMW 5 Series
and Vauxhall Vectra, frequently in estate variants. BMW X5
, Range Rover
and Land Rover Discovery
, together with the occasional Mercedes-Benz M-Class
, Nissan, Toyota or other 4x4s are also commonplace, especially for motorway duties. Large vans such as the Iveco Daily
or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
can be seen at major collisions.
These vehicles are fitted with Airwave
radio communications system and some with the TRACKER
stolen vehicle recovery system.
Equipment carried by vehicles includes;
, but since the late 1970s the preference has been for day-glo saffron yellow. Traffic Officers receive the same training as non-traffic officers in public order duties but are trained to a much higher standard in automobile control.
s established traffic departments in the early 1950s, although the first was established by the Metropolitan Police Service
in 1919, but it was with the opening of the M1 motorway
in November 1959 that the need for the police to have a specialist department dedicated to policing the new roads was recognised. The 1960s saw the start of construction of new motorways, so the traffic departments grew. One of the first fatal accidents on the M1 occurred near Newport Pagnell
, Buckinghamshire
in December 1959.
(CMPG) was started in 1990 by a partnership of West Midlands Police
and West Mercia Constabulary
; they were joined in 2001 by Staffordshire Police
and Warwickshire Police
of which withdrew in 2007. Each force maintains a separate RPU for non-motorway work.
(NWMPG) was started in 2008 after the success of the CMPG. It includes officers from Cheshire Constabulary
, Lancashire Constabulary
, and Merseyside Police
. All three of these forces are under the control of a Regional Control Centre (RCC) which is based in Newton Le Willows. This centre not only controls the radio traffic for NWMPG but also houses the North West Highways Control Centre.
operate Land Rover Discoveries, one Mitsubishi Shogun, Volvo V70s, BMW 330D Estates and also the Ford S-Max. They have a sub department called the Territorial Support Team (previously called the ANPR Intercept Team) which uses Mitsubishi EVO 8s and 10s along with Impreza GB270s and WRX STis, an unmarked Vauxhall Vectra, an unmarked BMW 3 series and Ford Mondeo ST220s, they also have a Ford Focus ST on trial. The TST team were being followed by RawCut TV's programme Police Interceptors in 2008.
The RPU of GMP operates liveried four wheel drive BMW X5s, which replaced the Range Rovers in 2007, as well as liveried Volvo V70s, 3 series BMWs and Vauxhall VXR Vectras as well as non -liveried (unmarked) vehicles.
Each RPU contains its own dedicated police motorcycle
wing, which uses both road and off road motorcycles.
The Force Motorway Control is at Force Headquarters at Chester House.
Area 6 Road Policing Unit is based at Birch Services on the M62 while Area RPU is based at Peel Green. N division RPU is based at Whitefield
Police Station but will be moving to the new Bury Ground Police station when it has been built. The Force RPU also operates the Tactical Vehicle Crime Unit
.
polices that section of the M3 motorway west of Junction 4 (Frimley Interchange), at the Surrey
border, to its junction with the M27
at Junction 14 north of Southampton
and the entirety of the M27, M271 and M275 motorways. It also polices a number of other major routes including the A27
, A3
, A31
, A34
, A36
and the A303
together with the cities of Portsmouth
and Southampton and the Isle of Wight
.
Hampshire Roads Policing Unit utilises a wide variety of vehicles including liveried BMW X5's, BMW 530d's, BMW 330d's and unmarked versions of the Subaru Legacy and Škoda Octavia VRS. The Honda Pan-European is used by motorcycle officers.
Hampshire's Roads Policing Unit has featured in various series of the occasional BBC One
television documentary Traffic Cops
. It was also featured in a number of episodes of the three BBC One
documentary series Real Rescues
.
maintains a Motorway Unit Base at Samlesbury
, near Preston, at the junction of the M6 (Junction 31) and A59
. Following the introduction of the Highways Agency
Traffic Officers in the North West region 2006, Lancashire Constabulary's Motorway Unit was scaled down, now maintaining a minimum level of resources. Since June 2008 motorway policing in Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire has been conducted through the North West Motorway Police Group
. Lancashire Constabulary's Road Policing Units are based throughout the county within divisions - usually working alongside Geographic Response Patrols (GSPs). Many of the RPU Motorcyclists are now tasked with Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) duties. The RPU ANPR team for Southern Division is based at Penwortham, with the Pennine Division RPU ANPR team based at Colne Police Station
.
opened a motorway section when the M4 motorway
reached its area in 1977. Its traffic department was established by its predecessor, Glamorgan Constabulary
, in 1952.
is responsible for the policing of part of the M25
, the M23
, Hooley
to Pease Pottage
and the M3
Sunbury
to the Hampshire
border. From a trio of traffic bases, at Godstone
M25 junction 6, Chertsey
M25 junction 11 and Burpham
near Guildford
on the A3. Surrey uses Volvo V70
Estates, Land Rover Discoveries
and Range Rovers as its main traffic vehicles, with a variety of other types and unmarked vehicles at their disposal.
operate diesel Vauxhall Vectra estates and a handful of 2.8 turbo V6 saloons, along with 4x4s like any other force. They also operate several unmarked cars, either being part of the general RPU team or the elite Pro-ACTIVE team. The Traffic Proactive and Problem Solving Team (to give it its full title) was formed in 1999 and use unmarked Vauxhall Omegas and Vectras in saloon variations, mostly with petrol V6 engines. They also have a couple of standard traffic cars that are in use when Pro-ACTIVE cars are out of action. The units are usually single, double or sometimes even triple crewed. The Pro-ACTIVE team was followed by Raw Cut TV's programme Road Wars between 2003 and 2008 and it made mini 'celebrities' out of its officers. As a result Chief Constable
Sara Thornton
asked Raw Cut to move to another force and they subsequently followed Devon and Cornwall officers. Most of their work is tasked but they sometimes patrol their area.
Highway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
within the majority of British police forces
Policing in the United Kingdom
Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England & Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland ....
.
Responsibilities
RPUs work with the National Roads Policing Strategy, which has five strands:- Casualty reduction.
- Counter-terrorism.
- Reducing anti-social use of the roads.
- Denying criminals the use of the roads.
- Public reassurance by high visibility patrolling of the road network.
RPU officers are responsible for patrolling the main motorways and large roads throughout the territorial police force
Territorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
area. In addition to their general road policing duties, they assist with various operations aimed at improving road safety and are also at the forefront in tackling vehicle crime and the criminal use of the roads network. They are also available to back up other units, as they are constantly roaming an area as part of their high visibility patrolling work.
A sub-unit of the RPU is the Collision Investigation Unit (CIU) or Forensic Collision Investigation and Reconstruction Unit (FCIRU), which exists to manage the follow-up investigations into all fatal and very serious collisions. The specially-trained teams attend the scenes of all such incidents, where, amongst other things, they take numerous measurements of the final layout of the scene and examine vehicles, all in a bid to piece together the cause of the crash.
Alcohol test equipment
Breathalysers were introduced in 1967 as a result of the Road Safety Act 1967.ProVIDA
The ProViDaProViDa
ProVida is the world's leading mobile surveillance and speed enforcement brand, actively in use in 70% of UK police forces and stretching across 20 countries worldwide. The system has also been translated into more than 10 different languages....
In Car Video System is fitted to both marked and unmarked traffic patrol cars and motorcycles with the aim of improving driver behaviour and road safety. It is used to detect traffic offences and to educate, advise and, if necessary, prosecute offenders.
Components of the system:
- Colour video camera with pan and zoom control in the front and back.
- Video data generator which records date and time.
- PolicePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
pilot speed detection device and speed indicator (recording both police, and other vehicles speed). - Mobile VHS video cassette recorder with a remote control unit. VHS is now being replaced with Digital Hard Drive Recorders or DVD recording systems.
- Two colour monitors, one each for front and rear seat occupants.
Whilst on patrol, a police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
who observes a blatant offence or an example of bad driving can record the incident on tape. Once they have stopped the driver concerned, they can then invite the motorist to sit in the police car
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
, where the incident is replayed. A motorist can request a copy of the video evidence should the matter be dealt with at court.
Depending on the circumstances of the offence, the motorist can then be advised regarding their driving, cautioned or prosecuted, when the video recording can be used in court if necessary.
JAI PROVIDA 2000 is a sophisticated in-car video and speed enforcement system for 24-hour detection of traffic offences and criminal acts. System recordings can be used in court as visual evidence, including reconstruction of events.
VASCAR
VASCARVASCAR
VASCAR is a type of device for calculating the speed of a moving vehicle. The first VASCAR device was created in 1966 by Arthur Marshall...
(Visual Average Speed Computer And Recorder) is a technology for determining the speed of a moving vehicle. It is used by police officers to catch speeding motorists. These devices are mounted on a patrol car's console, allowing the officer easy access to its controls. Many main roads in the UK now have horizontal lines of about two feet in length painted on the carriageway, which allow the VASCAR system to be calibrated.
VASCAR units were first fitted to police vehicles in the mid-1970s.
Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
The Automatic Number Plate RecognitionAutomatic number plate recognition
Automatic number plate recognition is a mass surveillance method that uses optical character recognition on images to read the license plates on vehicles. They can use existing closed-circuit television or road-rule enforcement cameras, or ones specifically designed for the task...
(ANPR) system is housed in a mobile unit. Both colour and infrared cameras are used to capture images of vehicle number plates as they pass by. The index number is read automatically and checked against a number of databases (including DVLA) held on computer.
If a match is made to a vehicle of police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
interest, the ANPR operator receives an alarm. The operator can then alert other officers to stop the vehicle. The process from reading the number plate to an alarm notification takes less than two seconds.
ANPR technology is available commercially and is being adopted by many businesses as a means of fighting crimes such as petrol station drive-offs and credit card
Credit card
A credit card is a small plastic card issued to users as a system of payment. It allows its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder's promise to pay for these goods and services...
fraud. There are other applications such as improved security in car parks.
Vehicles
Most commonly used vehicles are Volvo V70Volvo V70
The Volvo V70 is a mid-size five-door estate car / station wagon manufactured by Volvo Cars since 2000. It is closely related to the S70, S60 and S80 saloons, as well as the four-wheel drive Cross Country and XC70....
T5, Vauxhall Omega, BMW 5 Series
BMW 5 Series
The BMW 5 Series is a mid-size / executive car manufactured by BMW since 1972. The car, now in its sixth generation, is sold in sedan and touring body styles....
and Vauxhall Vectra, frequently in estate variants. BMW X5
BMW X5
The BMW X5 is a luxury crossover SUV introduced in 1999 as the first generation E53. It was BMW's first SUV also known as "Four-by-Four" in the UK. It features all-wheel drive which is branded as the "X" drive system and is available with either manual or automatic transmission...
, Range Rover
Range Rover
The Range Rover is a large luxury four-wheel drive sport utility vehicle produced by British car maker Land Rover. The model, launched in 1970, is now in its third generation...
and Land Rover Discovery
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
, together with the occasional Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
The Mercedes-Benz M-Class is a luxury mid-size sport utility vehicle , first offered in 1997 as a 1998 model, and built by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz. Gradually, the M-Class became a sales success in the United States and Mexico. In terms of size, it is slotted in between the smaller...
, Nissan, Toyota or other 4x4s are also commonplace, especially for motorway duties. Large vans such as the Iveco Daily
Iveco Daily
The Iveco Daily is a large van produced by Iveco from 1978; it was sold also as Fiat Daily until 1983. It is also available as a minibus.-First generation :...
or Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
The Mercedes-Benz Sprinter is a light and heavy commercial vehicle, built by Daimler AG of Stuttgart, Germany as a van, chassis cab and minibus, and sold as a Mercedes model, except in the U.S. where it is built from complete knock down kits and was sold by Freightliner until 2010 when Mercedes...
can be seen at major collisions.
These vehicles are fitted with Airwave
Airwave (communications network)
The Airwave network is a mobile communications network dedicated for the use by the emergency services in the United Kingdom. Designed to be both secure and resilient it allows multiple agencies integrated communications through a nationwide network. It is a secure digital, encrypted network and...
radio communications system and some with the TRACKER
TRACKER Network UK
The TRACKER Network UK is a vehicle tracking system used for recovering stolen vehicles in the United Kingdom.The TRACKER's stolen vehicle recovery system is operated by all of the UK's 52 police forces...
stolen vehicle recovery system.
Equipment carried by vehicles includes;
- Traffic coneTraffic coneTraffic cones, also called traffic pylons, road cones, highway cones, safety cones, construction cones or witches' hats or safety wizards, are usually cone-shaped markers that are placed on roads or footpaths to temporarily redirect traffic in a safe manner...
s (usually sixteen in 4x4s and ten in estate cars) - Cone lamps
- Signs (usually ten, consisting of four "accident" signs, two "slow" signs, two divert arrow signs, one "use hard shoulder", and "rejoin main carriageway")
- Groundsheet
- Tow ropes and shackles (4x4s only)
- Fire extinguisherFire extinguisherA fire extinguisher or extinguisher, flame entinguisher is an active fire protection device used to extinguish or control small fires, often in emergency situations...
- CrowbarCrowbar (tool)A crowbar, a wrecking bar, pry bar, or prybar, or sometimes a prise bar or prisebar, and more informally a jimmy, jimmy bar, jemmy or gooseneck is a tool consisting of a metal bar with a single curved end and flattened points, often with a small fissure on one or both ends for removing nails...
- HacksawHacksawA hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame, used for cutting materials such as metal or plastics. Hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, usually a pistol grip, with pins for attaching a narrow disposable blade. A screw or other mechanism is used to put...
- AxeAxeThe axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
- BroomBroomA broom is a cleaning tool consisting of stiff fibers attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of brush with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a dustpan....
- ShovelShovelA shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are extremely common tools that are used extensively in agriculture, construction, and gardening....
- Industrial glovesGloveA glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
- TorchFlashlightA flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
- First aid kitFirst aid kitA first aid kit is a collection of supplies and equipment for use in giving first aid, and can put together for the purpose , or purchased complete...
- Resuscitation kitPocket maskA pocket mask, or pocket face mask or CPR mask, is a device used to safely deliver rescue breaths during a cardiac arrest or respiratory arrest.-Design:...
- Infectious diseases protection kitInfection controlInfection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often under-recognized and under-supported, part of the infrastructure of health care...
- Space blanketSpace blanketA space blanket is a blanket used in emergencies to reduce heat loss in a person's body caused by thermal radiation, water evaporation and convection.-Manufacturing:First developed by NASA in 1964 for the US space program, the material consists of a...
s - Water containerBottled waterBottled water is drinking water packaged in plastic or glass water bottles. Bottled water may be carbonated or not...
- "stingerSpike stripA spike strip is a device used to impede or stop the movement of wheeled vehicles by puncturing their tires...
" tyre deflation unit - Teddy bearTeddy bearThe teddy bear is a stuffed toy bear. They are usually stuffed with soft, white cotton and have smooth and soft fur. It is an enduring form of a stuffed animal in many countries, often serving the purpose of entertaining children. In recent times, some teddy bears have become collector's items...
to console a distraught child after an accident - BreathalyzerBreathalyzerA breathalyzer or breathalyser is a device for estimating blood alcohol content from a breath sample...
kit to detect the presence of alcohol in an individual's breath - ST2000 Radar gunRadar gunA radar speed gun is a small doppler radar unit used to measure the speed of moving objects, including vehicles, pitched baseballs, runners and other moving objects. Radar speed guns may be hand-held, vehicle-mounted or static...
Uniform
Traffic officers wear a white-topped (day-glo yellow for Cleveland force) patrol cap, or a white-topped bowler for female officers. When traffic departments were first set up the officers were issued with long white coats. The first hi-visibility coats were day-glo orangeOrange (colour)
The colour orange occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum at a wavelength of about 585–620 nm, and has a hue of 30° in HSV colour space. It is numerically halfway between red and yellow in a gamma-compressed RGB colour space, the expression of which is the RGB colour wheel. The...
, but since the late 1970s the preference has been for day-glo saffron yellow. Traffic Officers receive the same training as non-traffic officers in public order duties but are trained to a much higher standard in automobile control.
Motorway police
Most territorial police forceTerritorial police force
The phrase Territorial Police Force varies in precise meaning according to the country to which it is related, generally distinguishing a force whose area of responsibility is defined by sub-national boundaries from others which deal with the entire country or a restricted range of...
s established traffic departments in the early 1950s, although the first was established by the Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
in 1919, but it was with the opening of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
in November 1959 that the need for the police to have a specialist department dedicated to policing the new roads was recognised. The 1960s saw the start of construction of new motorways, so the traffic departments grew. One of the first fatal accidents on the M1 occurred near Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell
Newport Pagnell is a town in the Borough of Milton Keynes , England. It is separated by the M1 motorway from Milton Keynes itself, though part of the same urban area...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in December 1959.
Central Motorway Police Group
The Central Motorway Police GroupCentral Motorway Police Group
The Central Motorway Police Group is a co-operative operation between three police forces in the West Midlands of England. Officers from the three forces involved - Staffordshire Police, West Mercia Police and West Midlands Police - provide a dedicated policing service on several hundred miles of...
(CMPG) was started in 1990 by a partnership of West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.Covering an area with nearly 2.6 million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and also the Black Country; the force is made up...
and West Mercia Constabulary
West Mercia Constabulary
West Mercia Police, formerly known as West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Shropshire , Herefordshire and Worcestershire in England. The force area covers making it the fourth largest police area in England and Wales...
; they were joined in 2001 by Staffordshire Police
Staffordshire Police
Staffordshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent in the West Midlands of England...
and Warwickshire Police
Warwickshire Police
Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It was known as Warwickshire Constabulary until 2001. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 998.6 regular officers as...
of which withdrew in 2007. Each force maintains a separate RPU for non-motorway work.
North West Motorway Police Group
The North West Motorway Police GroupNorth West Motorway Police Group
The North West Motorway Police Group provides a regionalised policing service for the Motorways within the Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester police areas...
(NWMPG) was started in 2008 after the success of the CMPG. It includes officers from Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary
Cheshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the English unitary authorities of Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Halton and Warrington. The force is responsible for policing an area of with a population of roughly 1 million.The Chief Constable of the...
, Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
, and Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The force area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million...
. All three of these forces are under the control of a Regional Control Centre (RCC) which is based in Newton Le Willows. This centre not only controls the radio traffic for NWMPG but also houses the North West Highways Control Centre.
Devon and Cornwall
Devon and Cornwall Police operate BMW 3 and 5 series marked estates and unmarked 3 series diesel's.They have a sub-department called the Road Crime Unit,which was formed in 2007, they have 7 officers with one sergeant and 6 constables, they operate 2 BMW 3 series diesel estates and 2 unmarked Ford Focus ST's.When needed they will take normal RPU duties, but that rarely happens.Most of their work is tasked but they sometimes patrol their area but that also rarely happens.The RCU are being followed by RawCut TV's programme Road Wars starting in 2009, along with their TAG C section and the Dog Section.Essex Police
Essex PoliceEssex Police
Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex in the east of England.It is one of the largest non-metropolitan police forces in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 3,600 police officers and operating across an area of over and with a population of...
operate Land Rover Discoveries, one Mitsubishi Shogun, Volvo V70s, BMW 330D Estates and also the Ford S-Max. They have a sub department called the Territorial Support Team (previously called the ANPR Intercept Team) which uses Mitsubishi EVO 8s and 10s along with Impreza GB270s and WRX STis, an unmarked Vauxhall Vectra, an unmarked BMW 3 series and Ford Mondeo ST220s, they also have a Ford Focus ST on trial. The TST team were being followed by RawCut TV's programme Police Interceptors in 2008.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP)
GMP is responsible for 281 miles (450.7 km) of Motorway, these include:- A6144(M)A6144(M) motorwayThe A6144 was a motorway in Carrington, Greater Manchester, England. It was rare among motorways in that it was entirely single carriageway, the only motorway of its kind in the UK. The others are dual carriageway for at least some of their length....
Carrington Spur - Single Carriageway - A627(M)
- A666A666 roadThe A666 is a major road in Greater Manchester and Lancashire, England. Known as Manchester Road, Bolton Road, or Blackburn Road, depending on which area it is in, it runs from its junction with A6 and A580 at the Irlams o' th' Height boundary with Pendlebury near Manchester, through Pendlebury,...
Saint Peters Way, Bolton - M6M6 motorwayThe M6 motorway runs from junction 19 of the M1 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby via Birmingham then heads north, passing Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Preston, Carlisle and terminating at the Gretna junction . Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74 which continues to...
between junctions 22 (Cheshire) to junction 27 (Lancashire) - M56M56 motorwayThe M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
between junction 1 (Princess Parkway) to border with Cheshire near to junction 6 - M58M58 motorwayThe M58 is a motorway passing through Merseyside and Lancashire, terminating in Greater Manchester, England. It is 12 miles long and provides a link between the M6 motorway and the area north of Liverpool.-Route:...
from M6 for 1 km to the Lancashire Border - M60M60 motorwayThe M60 motorway, or Manchester Orbital, is an orbital motorway circling Greater Manchester, a metropolitan county in North West England. It passes through all Greater Manchester's metropolitan boroughs except for Wigan and Bolton...
(including link between junction 18 and junction 12 of the M62) - M602M602 motorwayThe M602 motorway is a relatively short motorway, leading traffic into Manchester and Salford by-passing the suburban town of Eccles.The motorway itself was meant to be a part of a bigger scheme, the South Lancashire Motorway...
- M62M62 motorwayThe M62 motorway is a west–east trans-Pennine motorway in Northern England, connecting the cities of Liverpool and Hull via Manchester and Leeds. The road also forms part of the unsigned Euroroutes E20 and E22...
between junction 22 (West Yorkshire) to junction 11 (Cheshire) - M61M61 motorwayThe M61 motorway is a motorway in North West England. It runs from the M60 motorway northwest of Manchester and heads northwest past Bolton and Chorley to join the M6 just north of the junction between the M6 and M65 motorways to the south of Preston....
from Junction 1 to the border with Lancashire near to junction 6 - M66M66 motorwayThe M66 is a motorway in Lancashire and Greater Manchester, England. It is long and provides part of the route between the M62 and M60 motorways and the M65, with the rest being provided by the A56.-Route:...
- M67M67 motorwayThe M67 is a urban motorway in Greater Manchester, England which heads east from the M60 motorway passing through Denton and Hyde before ending near Mottram. It had originally conceived as the first part of a trans-Pennine motorway between Manchester and Sheffield connecting the A57 motorway to...
The RPU of GMP operates liveried four wheel drive BMW X5s, which replaced the Range Rovers in 2007, as well as liveried Volvo V70s, 3 series BMWs and Vauxhall VXR Vectras as well as non -liveried (unmarked) vehicles.
Each RPU contains its own dedicated police motorcycle
Police motorcycle
A police motorcycle is a motorcycle used by various police forces and departments. They may be custom designed to meet the requirements unique of a particular use. A police motorcycle is often called a "motor" by police officers in the United States...
wing, which uses both road and off road motorcycles.
The Force Motorway Control is at Force Headquarters at Chester House.
Area 6 Road Policing Unit is based at Birch Services on the M62 while Area RPU is based at Peel Green. N division RPU is based at Whitefield
Whitefield, Greater Manchester
Whitefield is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on undulating ground in the Irwell Valley, along the south bank of the River Irwell, south-southeast of Bury, and to the north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
Police Station but will be moving to the new Bury Ground Police station when it has been built. The Force RPU also operates the Tactical Vehicle Crime Unit
Tactical Vehicle Crime Unit
Tactical Vehicle Crime Unit is a unit set up as part of Greater Manchester Police's Road Policing Unit to combat vehicle crime in the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England...
.
Hampshire Constabulary
Hampshire ConstabularyHampshire Constabulary
Hampshire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in southern England.The force area includes the cities of Winchester, Southampton and Portsmouth...
polices that section of the M3 motorway west of Junction 4 (Frimley Interchange), at the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
border, to its junction with the M27
M27 motorway
The M27 is a motorway in Hampshire, England. It is long and runs west-east from Cadnam to Portsmouth. It was opened in stages between 1975 and 1983. It is however unfinished as an extension to the east was planned...
at Junction 14 north of Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and the entirety of the M27, M271 and M275 motorways. It also polices a number of other major routes including the A27
A27 road
The A27 is a major road in England. It runs from its junction with the A36 at Whiteparish in the county of Wiltshire. It closely parallels the south coast, where it passes through West Sussex and terminates at Pevensey in East Sussex.Between Portsmouth and Lewes, it is one of the busiest trunk...
, A3
A3 road
The A3, known as the Portsmouth Road for much of its length, is a dual carriageway, or expressway, which follows the historic route between London and Portsmouth passing close to Kingston upon Thames, Guildford, Haslemere and Petersfield. For much of its length, it is classified as a trunk road...
, A31
A31 road
The A31 is a major trunk road in southern England that runs from Guildford in Surrey to Bere Regis in Dorset.-Route of road:The road begins in the centre of Guildford, meeting the A3 road before running south west along the Hog's Back. It continues past Farnham, Alton and New Alresford before...
, A34
A34 road
The A34 is a major road in England. It runs from the A6042 in Salford to Winchester in Hampshire. It forms a large part of the major trunk route from Southampton, via Oxford, to Birmingham, The Potteries and Manchester...
, A36
A36 road
The A36 is a trunk road and primary route in England that links the port city of Southampton to the city of Bath. At Bath, the A36 connects with the A4 road to Bristol, thus enabling a road link between the major ports of Southampton and Bristol. Originally, the A36 continued onto Avonmouth, but...
and the A303
A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
together with the cities of Portsmouth
Portsmouth
Portsmouth is the second largest city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire on the south coast of England. Portsmouth is notable for being the United Kingdom's only island city; it is located mainly on Portsea Island...
and Southampton and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
.
Hampshire Roads Policing Unit utilises a wide variety of vehicles including liveried BMW X5's, BMW 530d's, BMW 330d's and unmarked versions of the Subaru Legacy and Škoda Octavia VRS. The Honda Pan-European is used by motorcycle officers.
Hampshire's Roads Policing Unit has featured in various series of the occasional BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
television documentary Traffic Cops
Traffic Cops
Traffic Cops is a documentary series on BBC One which follows traffic officers from various British police forces. The current series follows Bedfordshire Police. Previous series have followed Cheshire, Hampshire, Humberside, South Wales, South Yorkshire and Sussex police forces...
. It was also featured in a number of episodes of the three BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
documentary series Real Rescues
Real Rescues
Real Rescues is a British documentary exploring the daily work of the emergency services aired since 15 October 2007. The show is narrated by Nick Knowles and is broadcast on BBC One. Real Rescues is at the heart of the action with the emergency services of Hampshire including the police, fire,...
.
Lancashire Constabulary
Lancashire ConstabularyLancashire Constabulary
Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial county of Lancashire in the North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, near the city of Preston...
maintains a Motorway Unit Base at Samlesbury
Samlesbury
Samlesbury is a small village and civil parish in the South Ribble borough of Lancashire, England. Samlesbury Hall, a historic house, is located in the village as well as Samlesbury Aerodrome...
, near Preston, at the junction of the M6 (Junction 31) and A59
A59 road
The A59 is a major road in the United Kingdom that runs from Liverpool in Merseyside, to York in North Yorkshire.-Merseyside:The A59 begins in the centre of Liverpool at the mouth of the Birkenhead Tunnel, and heads north out of the city, first as Scotland Road in Vauxhall, then Kirkdale Road,...
. Following the introduction of the Highways Agency
Highways Agency
The Highways Agency is an executive agency, part of the Department for Transport in England. It has responsibility for managing the core road network in England...
Traffic Officers in the North West region 2006, Lancashire Constabulary's Motorway Unit was scaled down, now maintaining a minimum level of resources. Since June 2008 motorway policing in Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire has been conducted through the North West Motorway Police Group
North West Motorway Police Group
The North West Motorway Police Group provides a regionalised policing service for the Motorways within the Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester police areas...
. Lancashire Constabulary's Road Policing Units are based throughout the county within divisions - usually working alongside Geographic Response Patrols (GSPs). Many of the RPU Motorcyclists are now tasked with Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) duties. The RPU ANPR team for Southern Division is based at Penwortham, with the Pennine Division RPU ANPR team based at Colne Police Station
Police Station
Police Station is a American TV series that aired in syndication in 1959. Stories were taken from actual files.- Cast :*Baynes Barron as Sergeant White*Larry Kerr as Detective Chuck Mitchell*Henry Beckman as Detective Stan Abramson...
.
South Wales Police
South Wales PoliceSouth Wales Police
South Wales Police is one of the four territorial police forces in Wales. Its headquarters are based in Bridgend.Covering Wales' capital city, Cardiff, as well as Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, and the western South Wales Valleys, it is the largest police force in Wales in terms of population,...
opened a motorway section when the M4 motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
reached its area in 1977. Its traffic department was established by its predecessor, Glamorgan Constabulary
Glamorgan Constabulary
Glamorgan Constabulary, or Glamorganshire Constabulary, was the Home Office police force for the county of Glamorgan, Wales.The force was formed in 1841...
, in 1952.
Surrey Police
Surrey PoliceSurrey Police
Surrey Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Surrey in the south of England.The force is led by Chief Constable Mark Rowley and has its headquarters at Mount Browne, Guildford, Surrey...
is responsible for the policing of part of the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
, the M23
M23 motorway
The M23 motorway is a motorway in England. The motorway runs from south of Hooley in Surrey, where it splits from the A23, to Pease Pottage, south of Crawley in West Sussex where it rejoins the A23. The northern end of the motorway starts at junction 7 on what is effectively a spur north from...
, Hooley
Hooley
Hooley is a small village in Surrey, England. It lies in a "pass" which is the lowest crossing point of the North Downs for some distance in either direction. Both the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway and the South Eastern Railway recognised this pass as the best route to Brighton and built...
to Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage
Pease Pottage is a small village in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England. It lies on the southern edge of the Crawley built up area, in the civil parish of Slaugham....
and the M3
M3 motorway
The M3 motorway runs in England for approximately from Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey, to Southampton, Hampshire and forms an unsigned section European route E05. It is dual three lanes as far as Junction 8 near Basingstoke and then dual two lane until Junction 9 near Winchester and then dual three...
Sunbury
Sunbury-on-Thames
Sunbury-on-Thames, also known as Sunbury, is a town in the Surrey borough of Spelthorne, England, and part of the London commuter belt. It is located 16 miles southwest of central London and bordered by Feltham and Hampton, flanked on the south by the River Thames.-History:The earliest evidence of...
to the Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
border. From a trio of traffic bases, at Godstone
Godstone
Godstone is a village in the county of Surrey, England. It is located approximately six miles east of Reigate at the junction of the A22 and A25 major roads, and near the M25 motorway.-History:...
M25 junction 6, Chertsey
Chertsey
Chertsey is a town in Surrey, England, on the River Thames and its tributary rivers such as the River Bourne. It can be accessed by road from junction 11 of the M25 London orbital motorway. It shares borders with Staines, Laleham, Shepperton, Addlestone, Woking, Thorpe and Egham...
M25 junction 11 and Burpham
Burpham
Burpham is a village and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England. The village is on an arm of the River Arun slightly less than northeast of Arundel.The civil parish has an area of...
near Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
on the A3. Surrey uses Volvo V70
Volvo V70
The Volvo V70 is a mid-size five-door estate car / station wagon manufactured by Volvo Cars since 2000. It is closely related to the S70, S60 and S80 saloons, as well as the four-wheel drive Cross Country and XC70....
Estates, Land Rover Discoveries
Land Rover Discovery
The Discovery was introduced into the United Kingdom in 1989. The company code-named the vehicle "Project Jay". The new model was based on the chassis and drivetrain of the more upmarket Range Rover, but with a lower price aimed at a larger market segment and intended to compete with Japanese...
and Range Rovers as its main traffic vehicles, with a variety of other types and unmarked vehicles at their disposal.
Thames Valley Police (TVP)
Thames Valley PoliceThames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
operate diesel Vauxhall Vectra estates and a handful of 2.8 turbo V6 saloons, along with 4x4s like any other force. They also operate several unmarked cars, either being part of the general RPU team or the elite Pro-ACTIVE team. The Traffic Proactive and Problem Solving Team (to give it its full title) was formed in 1999 and use unmarked Vauxhall Omegas and Vectras in saloon variations, mostly with petrol V6 engines. They also have a couple of standard traffic cars that are in use when Pro-ACTIVE cars are out of action. The units are usually single, double or sometimes even triple crewed. The Pro-ACTIVE team was followed by Raw Cut TV's programme Road Wars between 2003 and 2008 and it made mini 'celebrities' out of its officers. As a result Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
Sara Thornton
Sara Thornton
Sara Joanne Thornton CBE QPM is currently the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. She replaced former Chief Constable Peter Neyroud who, in January 2007, moved to the role of Chief Executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency.Thornton was born in Poole, Dorset. She attended the...
asked Raw Cut to move to another force and they subsequently followed Devon and Cornwall officers. Most of their work is tasked but they sometimes patrol their area.