No motorist has been left unchecked as a group of dedicated volunteers track speeding bus drivers, mums on the school run and even off-duty policemen.

Armed with a smartphone, clipboard and a tracker, residents of Ingress Park, Greenhithe, are stopping offenders in the act.

They form part of Community Speech Watch, a national network of concerned citizens bidding to make their streets safer.

Members of the scheme monitor road users through an identification device which shows their travelling speed on an LED display.

The group doesn't physically stop drivers but details of vehicles travelling too fast are logged and sent to the police.

Peter Harris helps organise the monthly meet-ups backed by Dartford council and the cops.

The Swanscombe and Greenhithe town councillor explains the purpose of the patrol is not to “catch people out” but to educate them about the impact of their actions.

He says the response has been quite positive and people are welcoming of their presence.

“The rules apply to everyone the same,” he explains. “We’ve even caught an off-duty policeman and a Fastrack bus.”

The Greenhithe patrol normally takes place at the junction between Ingress Park Avenue and Prioress Crescent where the speed limit is 20mph.

It currently has 12 active volunteers and a minimum of three must be present for the patrol to go ahead. They are also assisted by a community support officer.

One team member shouts out the licence place of an offending vehicle while another records the details.

Cllr Harris explains all cars caught accelerating by more than 24mph are logged.

“If it is a first-time offence no further action is take,” he said. “But if it is a second time they may be sent a warning letter from the police.”

“Those which exceed 30mph, or 50% of the legal limit, automatically get a letter.”

The police may then choose to visit the offending motorist, fine them or issue further enforcement action.

Ingress Park residents are currently campaigning to have a 20mph road marker put down.

The monitoring slot between 2.30pm and 4.30pm reveals what they say is one of the road’s least suspected but most prolific offenders - "mums on the school run".

As one female resident pointed out: “Some of the driving is just awful. We had a lady with a child in the back who saw us and slammed the brakes on really hard.”

It's not just speed demons being caught by this band of volunteers either, as Cllr Harris explains.

By running the registration details through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's database, the team also help catch untaxed vehicles and those without a valid MOT.

A freedom of information request revealed 7,153 warning letters were processed by police across the whole of Kent between August 2018 and 2019, following a direct referral from a speed watch group.

Of these, 94 warning letters were processed for Greenhithe, which is the only active scheme within the Dartford borough.

Earlier this year, the police disputed figures which suggested its detection rates were among the lowest in the country.

The force recorded 59,606 speeding offences in 2017-18. Of these 31,692 were dealt with by way of speed awareness courses.

To find our more about the scheme visit www.communityspeedwatch.org

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