COMMUNITY protection officers in the Maldon district have been given top of the range speed cameras to crack down on speeding drivers.

Essex Police and Maldon District Council have teamed up to give officers full use of TRUCAM equipment to use in 54 new sites in the district, the first partnership of its kind in the UK.

Essex Police and Maldon District Council have met with parish councils and residents to identify hot spots for speeding drivers in the district.

In the last 12 months Essex Police has prosecuted 1,152 drivers for speeding offences and 196 drivers have had warning letters sent from the Community Speed Watch team in the district.

Essex-wide, 10,500 people are prosecuted for driving offences every month.

The handheld TRUCAM collects and stores a complete chain of video evidence for both speeding and tailgating, along with a high-resolution image that identifies vehicle make, model and license plate number.

The captured image is even good enough for facial recognition, providing police with solid prosecutable evidence.

The cameras will allow Community Support Officers (CSOs) to get out into the more remote areas of the Dengie including Tillingham and Bradwell where Essex Police have less presence

The council’s ten CSOs work seven days a week and can be called out 24 hours a day, dealing with vulnerable people, environmental issues and other enforcement duties in addition to speeding.

The partnership was launched on Monday at Wickham Bishops Village Hall.

Maldon District Council leader Mark Durham said: “We are the first authority to have this collaborative partnership with the police to tackle speeding. If this isn’t ground breaking, I don’t know what is.

“It will provide additional enforcement and provide residents more safety and confidence.

“The whole emphasis of this is to make our residents feel much safer. It’s a really, really significant move for the district.

“As our reputation of zero tolerance on speeding builds, we will push reckless driving out of the district.”