The failure to reduce road deaths over the past decade is being linked to a cut in the number of dedicated traffic police officers.

The Press Association reports that BBC’s Panorama today (17 January) has found that there’s been a 15% fall in how many officers are tasked with enforcing road laws full-time since 2016, and that nearly half of fixed speed cameras do not work.

It says figures from 34 forces who responded to Freedom of Information requests by Panorama show the total number of dedicated traffic officers they employed fell from 5,014 in 2016 to 4,257 currently.

The programme “Britain’s Killer Roads” is on BBC One at 7.30pm.

(Picture – Norfolk Police)