''Road enforcement must be proportionate, but the limit is the limit for a reason.''

5 February 2018

Chief Constable Anthony Bangham, roads policing lead for the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), has clarified his comments made whilst addressing the National Roads Policing Conference.

'' Part of my role as the national police lead for roads policing is to strive for ways of reducing those numbers and making our roads safer, and I take that responsibility very seriously.

In that context, at the conference I was asked about speed limits and the so-called  ‘buffer zone’, which has developed over time and means the public expect that they are given a leeway of 10 per cent plus two mph over the limit.''

He added:

''I said we should be clearer with the public that the limit is set for a reason and you can be stopped and action taken against you when you are over it.

The logical conclusion of that argument, and the way it has been widely reported, is that we’re going after people just one mph over the limit. I now want to be clearer on this point  –  our aim is not to be pursuing drivers one mph over the speed limit and putting them through the courts. This would not be proportionate or achievable.  

Police enforcement is always intelligence-led, proportionate and applied with common sense. The focus on the one mph issue has detracted from the real point I wanted to make - drivers shouldn’t just assume they’ve got a free pass to drive over the limit. The limit is the limit.'

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