Our passionate and dedicated Casualty Reduction Officers (CRO) have decades of combined experience in the field of road safety and carry out their duties on the roads of Wales to keep all road users safe. Their sole aim is to encourage compliance with the speed limits, which in turn will reduce casualties and fatalities on our roads.

It is with great disappointment and sadness that we must report on 3 separate incidents of abusive, threatening and obstructive behaviour targeted towards our officers over the last few days. 

One of our CRO’s was enforcing a 20mph speed limit outside Bryn School, Llanelli as part of our 20mph Campaign last week; encouraging compliance to keep vulnerable children and their parents safe on the school run. An individual decided it was appropriate to throw an egg through the open rear window of the van, narrowly missing the officer and causing damage which needed professional cleaning.

Criminal Damage is a serious crime, and investigations are underway to identify this individual and will be facing criminal proceedings once identified.

Outside another Primary School in Powys, during the same campaign another officer was threatened with violence as they undertook their lawful duties of keeping vulnerable road users safe on their journey to school. A Public order crime was recorded and the offender given words of advice.

A third incident occurred at another site in Powys, where a driver parked his vehicle close behind our enforcement van and opened the bonnet in a deliberate act of obstruction. The open bonnet restricted the officer’s view of the road. Obstructing a Police Support Officer is an offence, in the same way as obstructing a constable or a PCSO.

Our officers are out on the roads of Wales throughout the year to keep every road user safe. They do not go to a location to “catch motorists out” or to “make money” and don’t have “targets” to reach in terms of number of offences record. In fact a good result for our CROs is to record zero offences at a site.

They attend strategic sites which have a history of collisions or injuries and at locations which members of the communities have flagged as areas of concern for the sole reason of encouraging compliance.

Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager said:

“Fortunately, these type of incidents are rare. However attacks of any form on any member of police staff are unacceptable. 

Our Casualty Reduction Officers play a vital part in road safety and any such behaviour targeted towards them will not be tolerated.”

All GoSafe staff have body worn video equipment (BWV) and any act of violent, abusive or obstructive behaviour against our officers and staff will be investigated and appropriate action taken.

When you see an enforcement van at any location across Wales, know that they are there in the right place, at the right time, for the right reason; to keep every road user safe!