SPEED enforcements on Dartmoor conducted by a team of volunteer police officers are having a dramatic effect on anti-social driving and road safety.

Senior reporter Lindsay Turpin joined the team of four special constables from Devon and Cornwall Police last Saturday for a speed enforcement day — the third to be held in consecutive weekends.

Armed with their laser speed guns — which can track a car’s speed up to a kilometre away — these trained officers went on patrol to catch drivers flouting the speed limits in Dousland, Princetown and Postbridge.

Specials road policing inspector SC Dave Wooding, who works for a manufacturing company in Plymouth for his ‘day job’, organised the enforcement days in direct response to the public’s concerns and reactions to extreme speeding on Dartmoor.

‘Police have spent the past few weekends enforcing the speed limits on Dartmoor’s roads, following concerns received by the force that people were driving too fast through villages and on the moor’s roads,’ said Dave.

‘We are responding to these concerns and showing a police presence and providing awareness.’

And it shows — residents were delighted to see the officers and regularly gave the team a ‘thumbs up’ or offered them words of encouragement!

‘It is good to get feedback from the public and hear that they are all appreciative of what we do and what we are trying to achieve on Dartmoor and in the village of Dousland,’ said Dave.

Dave was joined by three special constables who were also keen to target the ‘hot spot’ areas on Dartmoor.

During the day, more than 20 cars were stopped for speeding and drivers received either a verbal warning by the officers or, on a few occasions, a speeding fine.

Vehicles were regularly caught driving at around 36mph through Dousland, generally from the Yelverton direction; one driver was stopped in the village for travelling at 41mph, which has a speed restriction of 30mph. Another driver was stopped for driving at 52mph on Dartmoor — the roads on the moors have a 40mph limit— and received a fine and points on their licence.

Other drivers were dealt with for not wearing seat belts.

‘It’s general road safety which we want to encourage — we are going to areas that have been reported as hot spot areas for speeding but we also want to encourage safety on roads, that can mean for the safety of horses and sheep, and making sure people overtake cyclists correctly.’

The small team of special constables from all walks of life — one works as a builder by trade, another for DEFRA, and one as a member of the police staff — volunteer their personal time to work for the police force which can be an additional ten hours a week on top of their 9-5!

But they do it for the love of the job.

Dave added: ‘When you put on the uniform you never know what you are going to deal with and that’s why I love it — I know now what it is to love a job, which is why I do ten to 30 hours a week.’