This approach obviously requires the support
of the police, who need to be able to accept
and act on footage, so if that’s not you, consider
approaching your local force and asking them
what their plans are.
We would encourage innovators to explore the
potential for using this kind of footage. If it’s
being collected and being sent in by road users
who expect something will be done with it, there
is actually a risk associated with not showing the
public that we take the offending it shows seriously.
Being overwhelmed with footage is a concern for
some forces, understandably. But we would argue
that:
• it’s coming anyway, so we need to be prepared.
• preparation and standard responses can save a
lot of time,
• issuing guidance on what makes ‘good’ (usable)
footage saves time down the line,
• consider linking to other sources of footage
(other than the public) such as Highways
England Traffic Officers, local fleets, or other
public service vehicles. This might be a
good place to start if you are setting up a
scheme, as it would limit the potential
submitters to a number you could manageably
pilot your new systems and processes on. Their
drivers could even be offered training in
identifying and submitting usable footage, giving
you good publicity material for a full launch to
your general public.
This is a relatively new approach to roads policing
so:
• make sure you communications and advertising
focus on the number of willing helpers the
police have out there, not how widespread
offending is,
• work with local media to combat the inevitable
“doing the police’s job”/”spies everywhere” angle
before it takes root,
• think of every contact as an opportunity to
increase police legitimacy and generate future
compliance (see p59).
The messages that should be communicated about
third party reporting centre on the idea that the need
for such schemes is evidence that the public endorses
roads policing objectives. There is no ‘war on the
motorist’ as some tabloids have tried to convince their
readership in recent years, but (if there is a ‘war’) it is - to
refer once more to the social norms influence - one of
the majority of sensible road using public, alongside
the police, against the minority of irresponsible and
dangerous road users. As such, Operation Snap (see
case study of page 126) and similar innovations are an
opportunity to show dangerous motorists that they are
outnumbered.
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