Speeding… it’s a hot topic that regularly comes up in our comments section.
You might believe a little bit of speeding is fine and shouldn’t be targeted by the police, or you might think that it is the most serious of crimes… but what’s the truth?
Speeding might be an issue that you don’t consider serious, however it is one of the fatal four. The fatal four are the four offences which contribute to serious collisions. The other fatal four offences are drink or drug driving, using a mobile device whilst driving or not wearing a seat belt.
The fact is, speeding does kill. In 2022, 303 people died on UK roads because drivers were travelling above the speed limit. All of those people have family, friends and loved ones left behind due to drivers choosing to go above the limit.
Our volunteers who run Community Speed Watch Groups give up their time because they care about their communities and want to help protect residents in their area. Derbyshire communities shouldn’t have their lives put at risk due to speeding motorists. Many of these volunteers have jobs and busy lives outside of their volunteering but feel passionate about keeping local families safe.
In addition, speeding is constantly an issue that communities in Derbyshire highlight as being a significant problem and one they wish to see action taken. That’s why our groups target those areas which have been reported by the community as high-risk roads.
On Monday, officers from Bakewell Safer Neighbourhood Team carried out checks on Haddon Road in Bakewell and the A623 in Stoney Middleton. In Bakewell 362 vehicles were checked and only 1 was observed to be exceeding the 30 mph limit at 37 mph. In Stoney Middleton 328 vehicles were checked and all were within the 40 mph limit.
Policing isn’t just about tickets, it’s also about education and community involvement, and these speed sites encompass the two. Our officers will step in and ticket drivers when necessary, but we want more than that. We want to really educate drivers on why speeding does matter, and why it is something we’ll continue to target to keep Derbyshire safe.
Since the beginning of January this year, when you raised that burglaries were a concern to you in the community after consultation with us at community engagement events and through Derbyshire Talking surveys.
From data available to us, we have seen a drop in dwelling burglaries this year (January to March 2025) across the 4 beat area we cover compared with last year (January to March 2024) whereby there has been an increase this year with outbuilding being targeted then last year.
With this mind, we are sending out the following crime prevention information in relation to outbuilding security which involves Sheds, Summerhouses and garages.
• Keep your gates, fences and walls well maintained. Ideally these should be at least 2m high.
• Keep gates locked and position them close to the front of your house.
• Consider growing prickly plants around vulnerable areas such as windows, fences, walls and drainpipes.
• Use gravel for footpaths and driveways as it is noisy to walk on.
• Fit motion-sensor security lighting if possible.
• Use ties to secure hanging baskets to brackets.
• Fill the bottom of pots and planters with heavy stones.Garage and shed
• If you do leave items of high value in your garage and shed, engrave or mark these items with your house number and postcode. Secure the items to the floor or leave in secured storage.
• Fit a good quality, substantial lock to the door for advice on these items visit https://www.soldsecure.com/
• Secure hinges with coach bolts and security screws.
• Invest in a shed alarm if possible.
• Screw windows shut, fit window locks and protective grills. Use curtains or netting to hide anything on view.
• Install low energy security lighting with motion sensors.
• Put tools and equipment away after use.
• Chain large items, such as bikes, together.
• Lock ladders to a secure fixture to stop them being used for access.
• Photograph your valuable items to help recover them if they are stolen.
• Keep photographs of unusual or sentimental items. They can be used by police to find and trace stolen itemsPlease report Suspicious activity to police by the following contact methods:
101 in a non emergency
Visit https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/ and use the report tab
Message the main Derbyshire Police Facebook Page
PARKING PAYMENT SCAMS
QR stickers had been applied to the Pay & Display card/coin machines in car parks in Derby and Derbyshire.
ALWAYS be alert when considering QR codes: NEVER use them if they appear to be stickers on machines, or stuck to information boards, rather than part of the official information board. Check that a QR sticker hasn’t been placed over the legitimate one.
Also, if you are going to pay by app, only ever search on your app store NOT google/internet search engine. Fake similarly sounding results will appear at the top of the search lists.
LITTLE KNOWN FACT : Sponsored ads appear at the top of search results – this merely means they have been paid for, NOT that they are legitimate!
So what happens?
As we understand it, victims are being caught out by following fake QR codes or searching the web for parking apps and are encountering misleading third-party ads with legitimate parking app promotions.
Believing they are providing card details to pay for parking, in actual fact, you are signing up for hidden subscriptions, rather than paying to park.
Always check to see that your parking payment has been made by checking your card/account. Legitimate apps/sites/phone lines will result in a text or email confirming your parking payment and expiry time.
If you find any additional payments taken, please contact your card issuer and report as many details as possible to www.actionfraud.police.uk