Policing leaders in Wiltshire back national call to retain road safety fines for local schemes

Monday, 29 September 2025 06:05

Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson and Chief Constable Catherine Roper have joined calls urging the Government to reform the speed enforcement system, allowing speeding fines to be spent on road safety in the areas where they are issued, alongside police leaders across the country.

In a joint letter to the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood and Lilian Greenwood, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport), 33 senior leaders across policing, local government and road safety organisations signed a joint letter to the Government, calling for urgent reform of the UK’s speed enforcement system.

The campaign, led by West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster and Mayor Richard Parker, demands a trial allowing all road safety-related fixed penalty fine revenue to be retained and reinvested locally, rather than being absorbed into the Treasury. PCC Philip Wilkinson and CC Roper have added their voices to the growing call for a fairer, more sustainable approach to funding road safety.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, said: “Road safety has been a continued priority for me, and because of increased local investment, 500% more speeding fines have been issued in the past three years and instead of reinvesting those fines into making Wiltshire’s roads even safer, that money goes straight into the Treasury.

“We are committed to making our roads safer, but the current system places the burden of enforcement on local taxpayers while thousands in fines leave the county. That’s neither fair nor sustainable, and with increased local investment, we could realise the ambition of reducing those killed and seriously injured on our roads to zero.”

Chief Constable Catherine Roper said: “Speeding and reckless driving continue to pose serious risks to our communities.

"Evidence shows that enforcement measures, like speed cameras, save lives—but they come at a cost.

"Retaining fine revenue locally would allow us to reinvest directly into proven road safety initiatives across Wiltshire.

"This will, in turn, support us in Keeping Wiltshire Safe."

The joint letter advocates for a system in which offenders, rather than law-abiding drivers, fund local enforcement. It also highlights the financial strain on local partnership schemes across the country, many of which operate at a loss despite their effectiveness in reducing collisions and casualties.