Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she has taken to implement the recommendations of HMICFRS's July 2020 report, Roads Policing: Not optional - An inspection of roads policing in England and Wales.

Two of the recommendations of the HMICFRS Roads Policing Report were addressed directly to the Home Office.

The Home Office considers that using the powers under section 7(4) of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 to require locally elected PCCs to include specific policing issues in their Police and Crime plans needs to be balanced with a proper regard for local autonomy and the will of local voters. PCC’s are directly elected and must consult their communities in developing a Police and Crime Plan that reflects local circumstances.

The Strategic Policing Requirement (SPR) will set clear direction to policing on the contribution they need to make to respond to priority national threats including terrorism, serious and organised crime and child sexual abuse. Following the SPR review that we concluded last year, we are considering the national threats and policing capabilities, such as roads policing, that are included in the SPR. The revised SPR will be published in due course.

The remainder of the recommendations were addressed to the Department for Transport, Chief Constables and the College of Policing. The Home Office is committed to working closely with these bodies to consider what further improvements can be made to the effectiveness of roads enforcement in England and Wales and reduce road traffic casualties.