West Midlands Police's processing of public-reported video footage showing driving offences "is currently under review", the force admitted, after it recently came under criticism when a news story on this website revealed that 286 cyclist close pass submissions had resulted in just one prosecution.

Data released by the force in response to a Freedom of Information request showed that of the 286 reports of careless, inconsiderate, or dangerous driving around cyclists considered by West Midlands Police in 2022, only one resulted in a prosecution. Of the alleged close passes, 213 resulted in no further action, while 69 were offered a National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) course as an alternative to prosecution.

The FOI request also showed that 5,551 submissions of video evidence relating to potential driving offences were received by West Midlands Police in 2022, over 2,000 more than the number submitted in 2020, and almost 1,800 more than 2021.

Hinting at the strain on resources, West Midlands Police noted that reviews take an "average of 60 minutes to run from receipt to conclusion", and are currently carried out by three business support assistants.

However, in a statement given to Birmingham Live (link is external), the force has now accepted the need to adapt to the increased submissions and said "this process is currently under review".

"We have seen a 50 per cent increase in third-party reporting over the last two years. This process is currently under review around how we can manage the rise in these submissions," a spokesperson said.

"We are committed to keeping our roads and road users including cyclists and pedestrians across the West Midlands safe. In 2016, we introduced 'Operation Close Pass' an initiative that targets drivers who endanger cyclists by driving without due care and attention.

"The initiative not only enforces safety on our roads, but it also educates drivers. We continue to carry out these operations and have some planned along the Chester Road area in the coming weeks.

"We also have an online portal on our website where members of the public can upload evidence of irresponsible driving such as photo or video footage. The material is then reviewed to see if it breaches road safety and if it does, we will look to seek prosecution."

"More support would improve the level of feedback, improve the quality of submitted videos and raise confidence in the system"

When the extent of the lack of prosecutions was revealed in April, the West Midlands' cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter wrote to the force's chief constable, Simon Guildford, raising concerns.

Tranter did not receive a reply but explained how he had praised the force's previously innovative road safety work such as Operation Close Pass, whereby plain clothes officers on bikes monitor overtaking drivers, with anyone found to be carrying out dangerous manoeuvres facing education or enforcement.

Along with the praise, Tranter said he had raised the "concerning" prosecution figures and suggested an increase in resources would help.

"These recent figures are concerning and point to a lack of available resource to process reports from members of the public," he said. "It is clear that third-party submissions are rising...I know there have been some concerns from the force about the feasibility of staffing this as it continues to upscale.

"However, third-party submissions have huge potential as a cost-effective deterrent against poor driving, especially given the fact that traffic officers cannot be everywhere.

"At present the team looking at submissions has one senior post and two business support assistants, he said. More support would improve the level of feedback, improve the quality of submitted videos and raise confidence in the system."

Operation Close Pass was run 22 times in 15 different locations between August 2020 and December 2022, resulting in 211 close passing or dangerous drivers being stopped, with 145 being offered education and advice related to safe driving around cyclists, while 66 were processed.

Of the third-party reported footage, of which 5,551 submissions were made to West Midlands Police in 2022, only 872 – or just under 16 per cent – of those reports resulted in a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) being issued to the driver in question, 593 and 338 fewer than in 2021 and 2020 respectively, when fewer reports were submitted.

In newly reported data, 301 submissions in January of this year resulted in five drivers being prosecuted for careless driving or using a mobile phone, while 41 were offered education courses and two received fixed penalty notices (both mobile phone offences).

The now-under-review third-party reporting process comes amid a backdrop of wider road safety concerns for vulnerable road users in the West Midlands, with two cyclists killed by hit-and-run drivers in Birmingham since mid-May.

On Friday, Tranter wrote a letter to police and local authority colleagues, calling for an urgent meeting with colleagues to bring about accelerated action to protect vulnerable road users.

On Thursday, a 36-year-old man was arrested over the death of a cyclist in his 40s on Chester Road, in Erdington on Wednesday afternoon, an incident which came two weeks after another cyclist was killed in a hit-and-run collision on Belgrave Middleway near the city centre.

In the hours after publishing a copy of his letter on social media, Tranter said he was "devastated" to hear that another cyclist had been rushed to hospital with serious injuries sustained in a collision involving a car being driven at the junction of Aston Lane and Birchfield Road on Friday afternoon.

"We cannot accept this as normal," Tranter said.

https://road.cc/content/news/police-force-review-close-pass-procedure-301715

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> West Midlands Police's processing of public-reported video footage
> showing driving offences "is currently under review", the force admitted,
> after it recently came under criticism when a news story on this website
> revealed that 286 cyclist close pass submissions had resulted in just one prosecution.
>
> Data released by the force in response to a Freedom of Information
> request showed that of the 286 reports of careless, inconsiderate, or
> dangerous driving around cyclists considered by West Midlands Police in
> 2022, only one resulted in a prosecution. Of the alleged close passes,
> 213 resulted in no further action, while 69 were offered a National
> Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) course as an alternative to prosecution.
>
> The FOI request also showed that 5,551 submissions of video evidence
> relating to potential driving offences were received by West Midlands
> Police in 2022, over 2,000 more than the number submitted in 2020, and
> almost 1,800 more than 2021.
>
> Hinting at the strain on resources, West Midlands Police noted that
> reviews take an "average of 60 minutes to run from receipt to
> conclusion", and are currently carried out by three business support assistants.
>
> However, in a statement given to Birmingham Live (link is external), the
> force has now accepted the need to adapt to the increased submissions and
> said "this process is currently under review".
>
> "We have seen a 50 per cent increase in third-party reporting over the
> last two years. This process is currently under review around how we can
> manage the rise in these submissions," a spokesperson said.
>
> "We are committed to keeping our roads and road users including cyclists
> and pedestrians across the West Midlands safe. In 2016, we introduced
> 'Operation Close Pass' an initiative that targets drivers who endanger
> cyclists by driving without due care and attention.
>
> "The initiative not only enforces safety on our roads, but it also
> educates drivers. We continue to carry out these operations and have some
> planned along the Chester Road area in the coming weeks.
>
> "We also have an online portal on our website where members of the public
> can upload evidence of irresponsible driving such as photo or video
> footage. The material is then reviewed to see if it breaches road safety
> and if it does, we will look to seek prosecution."
>
>
> "More support would improve the level of feedback, improve the quality of
> submitted videos and raise confidence in the system"
>
> When the extent of the lack of prosecutions was revealed in April, the
> West Midlands' cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter wrote to the
> force's chief constable, Simon Guildford, raising concerns.
>
> Tranter did not receive a reply but explained how he had praised the
> force's previously innovative road safety work such as Operation Close
> Pass, whereby plain clothes officers on bikes monitor overtaking drivers,
> with anyone found to be carrying out dangerous manoeuvres facing education or enforcement.
>
> Along with the praise, Tranter said he had raised the "concerning"
> prosecution figures and suggested an increase in resources would help.
>
> "These recent figures are concerning and point to a lack of available
> resource to process reports from members of the public," he said. "It is
> clear that third-party submissions are rising...I know there have been
> some concerns from the force about the feasibility of staffing this as it
> continues to upscale.
>
> "However, third-party submissions have huge potential as a cost-effective
> deterrent against poor driving, especially given the fact that traffic
> officers cannot be everywhere.
>
> "At present the team looking at submissions has one senior post and two
> business support assistants, he said. More support would improve the
> level of feedback, improve the quality of submitted videos and raise
> confidence in the system."

Police: 3000 burglaries a day NFA

Due to lack of resources the police in E&W are closing more than a million
cases of burglary and theft every year with NFA after the initial report.

This is the time to ask the question as to whether the police can afford to
follow up on ‘cases’ where a driver has not collided with a cyclist.

Freeing up these officers would mean they could be deployed on at least a
basic follow-up to a report of a burglary or theft, as it is known that
once burgled, the chances of a repeat of the crime is a staggering 25%, and
effective action can be taken to mitigate against this, especially when
police officer offers advice on countermeasures. At present, conviction
rates are very low.

It’s time the police stopped pussy-footing about with non-crimes like
‘close passes’ in favour of tackling real issues.

The public cannot accept this as normal.

Free up those officers! Bang up the burglars!

> Operation Close Pass was run 22 times in 15 different locations between
> August 2020 and December 2022, resulting in 211 close passing or
> dangerous drivers being stopped, with 145 being offered education and
> advice related to safe driving around cyclists, while 66 were processed.
>
> Of the third-party reported footage, of which 5,551 submissions were made
> to West Midlands Police in 2022, only 872 – or just under 16 per cent –
> of those reports resulted in a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) being
> issued to the driver in question, 593 and 338 fewer than in 2021 and 2020
> respectively, when fewer reports were submitted.
>
> In newly reported data, 301 submissions in January of this year resulted
> in five drivers being prosecuted for careless driving or using a mobile
> phone, while 41 were offered education courses and two received fixed
> penalty notices (both mobile phone offences).
>
> The now-under-review third-party reporting process comes amid a backdrop
> of wider road safety concerns for vulnerable road users in the West
> Midlands, with two cyclists killed by hit-and-run drivers in Birmingham since mid-May.
>
> On Friday, Tranter wrote a letter to police and local authority
> colleagues, calling for an urgent meeting with colleagues to bring about
> accelerated action to protect vulnerable road users.
>
> On Thursday, a 36-year-old man was arrested over the death of a cyclist
> in his 40s on Chester Road, in Erdington on Wednesday afternoon, an
> incident which came two weeks after another cyclist was killed in a
> hit-and-run collision on Belgrave Middleway near the city centre.
>
> In the hours after publishing a copy of his letter on social media,
> Tranter said he was "devastated" to hear that another cyclist had been
> rushed to hospital with serious injuries sustained in a collision
> involving a car being driven at the junction of Aston Lane and Birchfield
> Road on Friday afternoon.
>
> "We cannot accept this as normal," Tranter said.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/police-force-review-close-pass-procedure-301715
>

--
Spike

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> West Midlands Police's processing of public-reported video footage
> showing driving offences "is currently under review", the force admitted,
> after it recently came under criticism when a news story on this website
> revealed that 286 cyclist close pass submissions had resulted in just one prosecution.
>
> Data released by the force in response to a Freedom of Information
> request showed that of the 286 reports of careless, inconsiderate, or
> dangerous driving around cyclists considered by West Midlands Police in
> 2022, only one resulted in a prosecution. Of the alleged close passes,
> 213 resulted in no further action, while 69 were offered a National
> Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) course as an alternative to prosecution.
>
> The FOI request also showed that 5,551 submissions of video evidence
> relating to potential driving offences were received by West Midlands
> Police in 2022, over 2,000 more than the number submitted in 2020, and
> almost 1,800 more than 2021.
>
> Hinting at the strain on resources, West Midlands Police noted that
> reviews take an "average of 60 minutes to run from receipt to
> conclusion", and are currently carried out by three business support assistants.
>
> However, in a statement given to Birmingham Live (link is external), the
> force has now accepted the need to adapt to the increased submissions and
> said "this process is currently under review".
>
> "We have seen a 50 per cent increase in third-party reporting over the
> last two years. This process is currently under review around how we can
> manage the rise in these submissions," a spokesperson said.
>
> "We are committed to keeping our roads and road users including cyclists
> and pedestrians across the West Midlands safe. In 2016, we introduced
> 'Operation Close Pass' an initiative that targets drivers who endanger
> cyclists by driving without due care and attention.
>
> "The initiative not only enforces safety on our roads, but it also
> educates drivers. We continue to carry out these operations and have some
> planned along the Chester Road area in the coming weeks.
>
> "We also have an online portal on our website where members of the public
> can upload evidence of irresponsible driving such as photo or video
> footage. The material is then reviewed to see if it breaches road safety
> and if it does, we will look to seek prosecution."
>
>
> "More support would improve the level of feedback, improve the quality of
> submitted videos and raise confidence in the system"
>
> When the extent of the lack of prosecutions was revealed in April, the
> West Midlands' cycling and walking commissioner Adam Tranter wrote to the
> force's chief constable, Simon Guildford, raising concerns.
>
> Tranter did not receive a reply but explained how he had praised the
> force's previously innovative road safety work such as Operation Close
> Pass, whereby plain clothes officers on bikes monitor overtaking drivers,
> with anyone found to be carrying out dangerous manoeuvres facing education or enforcement.
>
> Along with the praise, Tranter said he had raised the "concerning"
> prosecution figures and suggested an increase in resources would help.
>
> "These recent figures are concerning and point to a lack of available
> resource to process reports from members of the public," he said. "It is
> clear that third-party submissions are rising...I know there have been
> some concerns from the force about the feasibility of staffing this as it
> continues to upscale.
>
> "However, third-party submissions have huge potential as a cost-effective
> deterrent against poor driving, especially given the fact that traffic
> officers cannot be everywhere.
>
> "At present the team looking at submissions has one senior post and two
> business support assistants, he said. More support would improve the
> level of feedback, improve the quality of submitted videos and raise
> confidence in the system."
>
> Operation Close Pass was run 22 times in 15 different locations between
> August 2020 and December 2022, resulting in 211 close passing or
> dangerous drivers being stopped, with 145 being offered education and
> advice related to safe driving around cyclists, while 66 were processed.
>
> Of the third-party reported footage, of which 5,551 submissions were made
> to West Midlands Police in 2022, only 872 – or just under 16 per cent –
> of those reports resulted in a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) being
> issued to the driver in question, 593 and 338 fewer than in 2021 and 2020
> respectively, when fewer reports were submitted.
>
> In newly reported data, 301 submissions in January of this year resulted
> in five drivers being prosecuted for careless driving or using a mobile
> phone, while 41 were offered education courses and two received fixed
> penalty notices (both mobile phone offences).
>
> The now-under-review third-party reporting process comes amid a backdrop
> of wider road safety concerns for vulnerable road users in the West
> Midlands, with two cyclists killed by hit-and-run drivers in Birmingham since mid-May.
>
> On Friday, Tranter wrote a letter to police and local authority
> colleagues, calling for an urgent meeting with colleagues to bring about
> accelerated action to protect vulnerable road users.
>
> On Thursday, a 36-year-old man was arrested over the death of a cyclist
> in his 40s on Chester Road, in Erdington on Wednesday afternoon, an
> incident which came two weeks after another cyclist was killed in a
> hit-and-run collision on Belgrave Middleway near the city centre.
>
> In the hours after publishing a copy of his letter on social media,
> Tranter said he was "devastated" to hear that another cyclist had been
> rushed to hospital with serious injuries sustained in a collision
> involving a car being driven at the junction of Aston Lane and Birchfield
> Road on Friday afternoon.
>
> "We cannot accept this as normal," Tranter said.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/police-force-review-close-pass-procedure-301715
>

“Cycling and Walking Commissioner”?

What kind of idiot can’t accept an outcome simply because he doesn’t like
the numbers?

Surely the number of prosecutions should depend on the evidence proving
there is an offence. That does not include dodgy video which can not be
verified as accurate.

This is a lucrative and relatively new way to raise funds toward road safety. It's nothing short of an own goal. Particularly with the numbers of uninsured and untaxed vehicles also being found out. I wouldn't cycle round WM if my life depended on it. Cycle cameras are everywhere nowadays and they are only getting more advanced. C'mon plod. Embrace the changes.

I think they should prioritise public submitted video like this as clearly the people involved are wanting to help and are spending their own time and money to assist the police with traffic enforcement. If the police aren't taking it seriously, then the public will lose interest and the police lose an incredibly cheap and effective resource. It's free eyes on the road when the police can't be everywhere.

On 06/06/2023 03:09 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> West Midlands Police's processing of public-reported video footage showing driving offences "is currently under review", the force admitted, after it recently came under criticism when a news story on this website revealed that 286 cyclist close pass submissions had resulted in just one prosecution.

The police force isn't falling for the hysteria?

Occam's razor, mate.

qwerty360 | 150 posts | 4 hours ago
3 likes

I expect we need:

1. Standardised reporting systems (easy for me as a cyclist to submit)

2. Standardised metrics

3. Comparison across forces and time

WMP were afaik one of the first forces to do a dashcam portal, as well as close pass initiatives etc. Loads of other forces are now doing the same because it had a measurable impact on road safety.

Yet for some insane reason WMP allowed it to stop when the officers behind it left (read: Were actively recruited by other forces for more senior, better paid roles due to how successful they had been...)

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> qwerty360 | 150 posts | 4 hours ago
> 3 likes
>
>
> I expect we need:
>
> 1. Standardised reporting systems (easy for me as a cyclist to submit)
>
> 2. Standardised metrics
>
> 3. Comparison across forces and time
>
> WMP were afaik one of the first forces to do a dashcam portal, as well as
> close pass initiatives etc. Loads of other forces are now doing the same
> because it had a measurable impact on road safety.

“…it had a measurable impact on road safety”; so show us the measure, and
the determination of the impact.

> Yet for some insane reason WMP allowed it to stop when the officers
> behind it left (read: Were actively recruited by other forces for more
> senior, better paid roles due to how successful they had been...)

--
Spike

On 06/06/2023 05:47 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> ... I wouldn't fairy-cycle round WM if my life depended on it.

It doesn't.

> Chav-cycle cameras are everywhere nowadays and they are only getting more advanced. C'mon plod. Embrace the changes.

Too right. Catch some of those chavs on bikes.
>
> I think

That's where your mistake starts.

You actually don't

> they should prioritise public submitted video like this as clearly the people involved are wanting to help and are spending their own time and money to assist the police with traffic enforcement. If the police aren't taking it seriously, then the public will lose interest and the police lose an incredibly cheap and effective resource. It's free eyes on the road when the police can't be everywhere.

Idiot.

Fignon's ghost wrote:

A great point. We're doing the admin and evidence gathering on plods behalf. For no wages. FOR A SAFER COUNTRY.

Yeah, it's an implied contract whereby we provide cast-iron video evidence and the police prosecute them.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Fignon's ghost wrote:
>
> A great point. We're doing the admin and evidence gathering on plods
> behalf. For no wages. FOR A SAFER COUNTRY.
>
> Yeah, it's an implied contract whereby we provide cast-iron video
> evidence and the police prosecute them.

I still have seen no reference to the software or other tools needed to
determine the actual gap in an alleged, so-called, ‘close pass’. I’m
surprised that no-one appears to have asked in court to see how the
closeness was determined. One gets the impression that the police dish out
prosecutions in the hope that accused drivers will just roll over and not
ask awkward questions. Or perhaps that accounts for the low rate of
prosecutions in favour of Driver Awareness Courses. Who knows?

--
Spike

Car Delenda Est replied to Fignon's ghost | 378 posts | 16 hours ago
4 likes
The revenue from fines go to the treasury and aren't ring fenced for anything.
That said there is certainly a strong argument that the less you spend on policing now the more you'll have to spend on policing later.

On 07/06/2023 05:05 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Fignon's ghost wrote:
>
> A great point. We're doing the admin and evidence gathering on plods behalf. For no wages. FOR A SAFER COUNTRY.
>
> Yeah, it's an implied contract whereby we provide cast-iron made-up video evidence and the police prosecute them.
>

Fursty Ferret | 97 posts | 19 hours ago
1 like

Honestly, this is the sort of thing that should be farmed out to the dodgier companies like G4S. Give them 30% of the fine recovered and a bonus for reaching targets.

I genuinely don't care if they use shady or aggressive tactics in this area.. If a pass is marginal as to whether it's dangerous or not, either pay up or request that the case be bounced back to the police with an acceptance that fines and points are doubled if found guity.

Always wondered why basic stuff like illegal number plates / pavement parking / window tints etc hasn't been given to third parties to enforce.