Local police and politicians have vowed to work together to alleviate residents’ fears about dangerous speeding in town.
At a meeting of July’s Warminster’s Area Board, one resident described the speeding as an ‘epidemic’ while Councillor Bill Parks pointed to the issue of loud exhausts late at night.
Another attendee said, “We don’t want to wait for a fatality before this is sorted.”
Inspector Lou Oakley told the meeting, “It’s come to my attention that there have been some significant issues with cars which are causing anti-social behaviour (ASB) and dangerous driving across town. We want to work with the community. This is clearly a problem, and we do care.”
However, Inspector Oakley stressed that Warminster’s local policing team don’t have the same powers as Wiltshire Police’s dedicated traffic department when it comes to pursuing dangerous vehicles.
She added, “We need to bring everyone together and work together to get dangerous drivers off the road safely.”
Councillor Russell Hawker, who represents Warminster West, invited Inspector Oakley to the meeting to discuss the speeding issue in response to concerns he had received from local residents. He’s also seen dangerous speeding himself on Victoria Road.
He praised Inspector Oakley’s ‘extensive answers’ on the issues and is eager to hear from more residents with concerns.
Following the discussion, Cllr Hawker added, “This has been some very interesting detail, and I know a lot of people in Warminster are following this issue. For me, and several people here, we are eager to find out what happens next.”
One attendee agreed to meet with Inspector Oakley to share specific evidence he had amassed about dangerous speeding over a four-year period and stressed that a specific white Audi was causing residents issues.
Following the meeting, Cllr Hawker confirmed, after an update from Inspector Oakley and the Warminster Policing Team, that the car in question had been taken off the road and efforts were underway to apprehend the driver.
Meanwhile, also at the area board meeting, Inspector Oakley also gave updates on other key crimes in Warminster which police in the region are tackling, such as retail crime, van break-ins and ASB. Officers have been on high-vis patrols to speak directly with people and businesses in town.
On knife crime, Inspector Oakley added, “Knife crime has increased overall nationally, but we’ve been quite lucky in Warminster and not seen the same level of issues as other towns.
“We work really closely with people in education around knife crime. Students have recently watched a video from the NHS about the consequences of a stabbing and what it can lead to, I think that’s been quite impactful.”
Police are also working with local post offices about drug importation awareness and are “building a bigger picture” to act upon, Inspector Oakley explained.
Find out ways to report a crime to Wiltshire Police at www.wiltshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/
