Motorists Too Deadly To Risk Officers On Bicycles For Close Overtake Stings, Says U.K. Police Boss
by Carlton Reid
South Worcestershire Policing Commander Steph Brighton has said that her force will not be placing plain clothes officers on bicycles to catch motorists that overtake too closely. “The risk is too great,” she tweeted on September 14.
“I cannot deliberately put officers at risk,” added Superintendent Brighton.
Many police forces around the U.K. stage “stings” where police officers in civilian clothes report ahead to uniformed colleagues when overtaking motorists pass them too closely.
“Rules of the road say motorists should give cyclists at least the same space as [motor] vehicles when overtaking,” says a statement from the West Midlands Police Force which introduced their “Operation Close-Pass” initiative in 2016.
The force said it was first in the U.K. to “proactively target close-pass drivers who endanger riders.”
According to Rule 163 of the Highway Code road rules motorists have to give cyclists—and horseriders and motorcyclists— “at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.”
“Anyone encroaching inside that safe passing distance—widely considered to be a minimum of 1.5 metres—runs the risk of being prosecuted for driving without due care and attention,” says the West Midlands Police Force.
Several U.K. police forces have carried out variations on “Operation Close-Pass,” although it seems that despite being neighbours to the West Midlands Police Force, the West Mercia Police won’t be one of them.
“Regrettably Op Close Pass will not be taking place [in this region],” Superintendent Brighton tweeted in reply to a request from the Bike Worcester cycle advocacy group.
“Officer safety is my priority,” she stated, “and a health and safety assessment by a specialist who has spoken to other forces has determined the risk is too great.”
The West Midlands Police Force is more proactive.
“Officers saddle up on some of the region’s busiest routes looking out for motorists who put cyclists at risk,” says the force.
“They will radio the details of close-pass drivers for in-car colleagues to stop drivers. Drivers will be offered a road-side educational input on safe overtaking but repeat offenders, or anyone deemed to have driven dangerously close to a cyclist, can expect to be prosecuted and taken to court.”
A year after introducing “Operation Close-Pass” the number of cyclists killed or seriously hurt on the roads in the West Midlands Police Force region dropped by a fifth.
Superintendent Brighton has said she won’t expand on the comments she made online, stressing that replies to her original tweet were misrepresenting her views.
“This is why I have suggested a meeting rather than attempt to explain using very few words on Twitter,” she said.
“The roads are not unsafe: the proposed operation was when there are other ways to tackle it for the safety and benefit of all.”