Mobile:Engaged Compendium 2021 | Page 114

What is ‘ effective ’ enforcement ?

Enforcement is dependent on the law that underpins it , so ( if we only use the 2003 law ) we could find ourselves claiming success if we effectively divert drivers into ( legal ) hands-free , rather than ( illegal ) handheld use - but we know that wouldn ’ t necessarily have made the roads any safer .
It ’ s tempting to measure success through the number of ‘ tickets ’ issued , or successfu ; prosecutions , but this is actually a measure of our own activity , not of any actual safety outcome . This kind of figure can also seem useful for promoting how busy we have been to the public , but we might want to have reservations about that ( see the discussion of social norms on p65 ).
Checking our records to see if the drivers we stop are ever reconvicted might also yield some information , but we would not be measuring actual reoffending if we did this . It might be more likely that we just hadn ’ t managed to catch them again .
Our section on evaluation ( p25-27 ) should also help you think about what it is you want to know in terms of outcomes from your activity , and to make sure that your definition of ‘ effectiveness ’ is one that really relates to the purpose behind what you are doing . Some things are easy to measure , but it doesn ’ t mean that they are a good measure .
Some forces ask motorists to fill in questionnaires after being stopped , which can yield interesting insight into a range of relevant issues , such as their reasons for using their phone , understanding of the law , and perception of the fairness of what happened to them .
We have created a flow chart showing different charging options , available at https :// knowledgehub . group / group / national-roads-policing-intelligence-and-operations-nrpoi
‘ Effective ’ enforcement also relies on officers being confident about what they are doing . Earlier research by one of the Mobile : Engaged team 1 found that many officers were unsure about what was actually legal and what wasn ’ t ( and that ’ s no surprise given the complexities of the law and contemporary technology as we discuss on p15-17 ). Being confident in using the law , but also knowing about alternatives such as ‘ Driver not in proper control ’ and ‘ Driving without due care and attention ’ mean that officers will be more confident taking action .
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1
Savigar , L . ( 2016 ). How can education be used to influence road safety attitudes and behaviours ? An exploration of Crash Course as a diversion from prosecution and as road safety training for employees : Report for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire – December 2016 .