DRIVERS beware – new community speed watch operations could soon be in action locally.

A new group is planned for Dorchester with recruitment underway for speed watches on the coast road between Weymouth and Bridport and in Purbeck.

Although the volunteer groups do not have to powers to issue fines they can pass on information about unsafe driving to Dorset Police.

Several new volunteers were recruited for community speed watch teams at an event in Dorchester this week.

Martha Perry, Community Speed Watch Co-ordinator for Dorset Police, said: “We don’t currently have teams in the Purbeck and Dorchester currently doesn’t have a team, although I picked up two volunteers at the Dorchester event.

“On the coast road, between Weymouth and Bridport, we have a particular problem with speeding traffic and there are points that we could set up Community Speed Watch teams, so if anybody is interested please come forward.”

Although these are the areas in immediate need of volunteers Martha says there are also vacancies elsewhere in the county to join existing teams.

“It’s very much about communities being empowered to do something for themselves about the speeding issue.

"I get a lot of criticism from speeding motorists about the age of the volunteers that are out there – but these are the people who live in the villages and in the towns; they’re grandparents, they’re parents, and they want to make sure that their families are safe.

"They are also helping the police and helping their communities…they’re doing the right thing, a good thing.”

She says that the amount of hours is dictated by the teams themselves but, ideally, each team aims be out at least once a week, especially in the summer period.

“They don’t operate in bad weather. We have quite a number of teams which suspend their operations over the winter, and that’s fine. We have some teams that are so dedicated that they will be out three or four times a week.”

Further details can be found via the Dorset Road Safe website www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk by looking under ‘enforcement’, or by contacting police neighbourhood teams.

THE Dorchester event also featured the work of other Watch organisations – including horse watch and neighbourhood watch.

Watch a video of the event here

Chairman of the Dorset Association of Watches David Ayres said volunteers are always keen to stop people becoming victims of crime and he is particularly concerned about a recent rise in doorstep offences.

“It’s more about making sure that people know how not to be a victim…one of the easiest things is to perhaps make a pre-judgement that if anyone knocks on the door you say no.”

“A lot of the rogue traders will target the vulnerable and elderly. If you see a neighbour having work done you don’t have to intervene by being aggressive, just go over and see if everything is all right and if you are still concerned contact the police.”

Another area of concern is crime committed via the internet where the perpetrators can be anywhere in the world. Here the advice is not to open emails, and especially attachments, from those you do not recognise.

He says that volunteers vary with the amount of time they offer – from a few hours a year to several hours a week; others are prepared to organise events or to join in regular activities which can amount, in many cases, to half a day a week.