Making the county’s roads safer
A specialist team of Northamptonshire Police officers and staff are working seven days a week to keep the county’s roads safe.
Driving standards and road safety are a significant concern for many communities, so Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone spent time with the Safer Roads Team to find out more about the work they do.
The Safer Roads Team has a range of tactics, including the use of six mobile speed detection vans that travel around Northamptonshire.
The speed detection vans visit a wide variety of locations across the county covering hotspot areas for dangerous driving – from high collision routes to dual carriageways to residential areas.
The Team also runs Operation Snap, which allows members of the public to submit dashcam footage of dangerous driving to Northamptonshire Police.
Danielle spent the morning with the Team, learning more about their work, before heading out to spend time on a speed detection van.
Danielle said: “Road safety is an absolute priority, both for me and for many of the communities I visit.
“Too many people have been killed or injured on our roads so far this year.
“After spending time with the Safer Roads Team, I can see that Northamptonshire Police is working hard, with partners, to tackle road harm. That work will continue to grow.”
Safer Roads Team in numbers
- 180 mobile enforcement sites across Northamptonshire
- In 2024, the Mobile Enforcement Team detected more than 38,000 offences
- Over 1,300 submissions to Op Snap in the last six months, which has led to 12 charges of Dangerous Driving
Later this year, Danielle will hold a Road Safety Roundtable meeting with key stakeholders to take a close look at how road safety in the county can be improved.
Commissioner funds speed safety signs
Funding for electronic speed limit signs has been awarded to more areas across the county as part of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner’s pledge to enhance road safety.
Applicants from Kislingbury, Weldon, Woodford, Loddington, Stoke Albany, Barnwell, Wakerley, Blisworth and Abington Vale have received grant funding from Danielle Stonefor new vehicle activated signs.
The applications form partof Danielle’s Road Safety Community Fund.
Kislingbury Parish Council wanted to provide safer roads for its villagers as part of their speed awareness project and received funding to pay for a speed limit sign outside the primary school.
The signs make drivers aware when they are exceeding the speed limit and aim to slow them down.
Chris Payne, Kislingbury Parish Councillor, said: “We have a heavy number of HGVs and cars travelling through the village and we are seeing up to 40 44-tonne lorries an hour coming over the bridge.
“Children are walking to and from school next to this large volume of traffic, which contends with tight bends and various junctions.
“There’s a very good reason for needing to control the speed in the village and the signs definitely slow drivers down when they see them flash.”
Danielle said: “Through my Big Conversation survey people told me that they don’t always feel safe and rural residents had particular concerns around poor driving.
“It is a priority of mine to improve safety for everyone living, working, and travelling within Northamptonshire.
“Giving road safety grants is an important part of my work to support a reduction in collisions, casualties and anti-social drivingon the county’s roads.”
How do I apply for the Road Safety Community Fund?
The Commissioner is welcoming applications from schools and community groups to apply for road safety funding.
If you’re experiencing parking issues at the school gates or share concerns about speeding in your village or town, then you can apply for a grant between £500 and £5,000 to make improvements where you live.
Jane Clowery, office administrator from Weldon Church of England Primary School, received a grant earlier this year to fund Parking Buddies around the school gates.
Jane said: “The application process was quite simple and easy to understand with great guidance. I loved how quickly we got a response. Within two weeks of applying for funding we saw the money in our bank account, it’s a great system.”
There are two grant schemes available from the Commissioner’s office: The Road Safety Fund and the Safe and Sound Community Fund, which prioritises projects that meet the aims of the Danielle’s Safe and Sound plan.
To apply, see our website or emailfunding@northantspfcc.gov.uk for more information.
Making the railway a safe place for women and girls
Visitors to Northamptonshire are being warned that violence against women and girls will not be tolerated on the railway.
That’s the latest message being issued by the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, who has teamed up with train operators to warn against harmful behaviour at transport hubs.
Danielle Stone’s team has worked with partners from London Northwestern Railway and East Midlands Railway, to create an educational video called Railway Capable Guardianship.
Its aim is to teach staff, through three different live action scenarios, how to respond to incidents involving violence against women and girls.
Violence against women and girls includes – but isn’t limited to – harassment, stalking, rape, sexual assault, murder, honour-based abuse and coercive control.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Danielle Stone said: “I know that women can feel unsafe when travelling alone and I want to help them feel supported.
“My office has recently played a leading role in delivering a project with the county’s rail operators to help more staff spot harmful behaviours and better safeguard women and girls in Northamptonshire.
“We want to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated and will no longer go unpunished.”
The training package has been launched as part of the Home Office’s Safer Streets Summer campaign, which aims to reduce criminality in town centres and at transport hubs.
Jamie Ainsworth, Safety Director at London Northwestern Railway, said: “Nothing is more important than ensuring the safety of our customers and colleagues when they are using the rail network. We carry more than one million passengers on our services every week, meaning this intervention training is incredibly impactful.
“We are proud to work with Danielle Stone in rolling out this crucial training programme across our frontline teams to help protect vulnerable passengers against abuse and exploitation.”
Fire Service exercise shows impact of poor building access
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has delivered crucial training on how poor access to properties can impact on their ability to deal with an emergency.
The Protection Team, supported by Red Watch at Corby Fire Station, delivered a practical session to staff from North Northamptonshire Council’s Planning, Building Control and Highways departments to show the barriers faced by emergency vehicles when arriving at a location with poor access.
The aim was to highlight the importance of early consideration when planning new build properties.
The exercise took place on the drill yard at Corby Fire Station. Across two separate drills, the crew were met with the scenario of arriving at an address, setting up and entering the building.
The only difference between the two drills was the ease of access to the building.
During the first drill, when the crew could park 15 metres from the property, they were able to enter the building to extinguish the fire within five minutes.
The second time, the crew had to park 55 metres away, doubling the time to entered the building to almost ten minutes.
This was the first demonstration of its kind that has been carried out by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and was attended by Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Marianne Kimani.
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Head of Protection Scott Richards said the event was very worthwhile.
“Being able to explicitly show local authority staff, who have influence in building and planning, how they can help us to keep people safe was brilliant,” Scott said.
“The exercise was a stark reminder of the additional risk and complications that are generated when access to properties is limited, so I hope that everyone who attended will understand that giving early consideration to fire safety and working with us, can help keep communities across Northamptonshire safe.”
Keeping you safe
The Protection Team at Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service work hard to keep communities across the county safe. Some of the work they carry out, includes:
- Inspecting higher risk premises like care homes, hospitals, and large venues
- Proactively working with premises that repeatedly suffer false alarms to ease demand on emergency response
- Working within Safety Advisory Groups for larger sporting venues and public events, to support the safety of attendees
- Undertaking consultations, as part of building regulations, to help inform proposals and ensure they are built correctly and to relevant standards
