Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is being urged to recruit 1,000 new traffic police officers if she and the Labour Party are serious about improving road safety, addressing the motor theft epidemic and tackling wider crime, the AA says.

The motoring group's analysis of official police workforce statistics shows there were 4,215 traffic officers in England and Wales at the end of March 2024. 

That's some 1,022 fewer than the highest point on 31 March 2016 (5,237), which represents a decline of 19.5 per cent in less than a decade.

It said there is a general public perception that drivers a 'simply getting away' with a number of different motoring offences - and only more officers could curtail this. 

Hinting at an overreliance on cameras to monitor and enforce Britain's drivers, it said a bigger police presence should be introduced to support the new technology coming to the roadside. 

As part of Labour's general election manifesto, it pledged to recruit thousands of new police officers to tackle neighbourhood crime.

The AA has today called on Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to make good on this promise and said at least 1,000 of the bolstered police workforce should be dedicated traffic officers to tackle the growing spate of motoring and vehicle-related crimes. 

The motoring organisation says its own research has found the public is getting sick and tired of people 'simply getting away' with driving offences in particular. 

In its poll of 11,469 drivers conducted last month, more than half (57 per cent) felt that drivers could easily escape being hauled up for careless driving due to a lack of police on the roads.

Similarly, more than two fifths of drivers said offences such as using a handheld phone behind the wheel, drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and using a dangerous vehicle were going unpunished due to a reduced police presence.

The call for a large police presence comes in the wake of the wider use of AI cameras to detect a variety of different driving offences, including catching those handling phones while in control of a vehicle and not wearing a seatbelt.

Authorities are also installing the latest 'ultra' speed cameras, which cannot only identify speeding drivers travelling in both directions but also don't flash when they snap passing motorists and can detect other crimes, including using phones and not being buckled up.

The AA welcomed the arrival of this technology but said it should be supplemented by a larger police presence on the roads.

Interestingly, there was strong belief that more traffic officers could help fight and reduce crime beyond the road. 

Nine out of 10 (91 per cent) said having more traffic police would make communities safer, while eight out of 10 believed that an increase in roads policing officers could help reduce crimes such as drug dealing, human trafficking and the ongoing spate of vehicle theft, especially given the recent rise in keyless car crime.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: 'Be it driving offences or wider crime, public opinion suggests that too many people are simply getting away it. 

'It's clear that the public want to see more bobbies on the beat, so the government's ambition to increase the number of police officers is welcome.

'We believe there should be a wider approach to tackling crime and that more cops in cars could produce safer communities as well as safer roads. 

'A clear and visible presence is a deterrent itself to ensure better standards of driving, as well as sending a warning signal to criminals that the chances of being caught are higher than before.'

Mr Cousens added that a traffic cop recruitment drive would help tackle certain crimes that can only be identified by humans, such as discovering stolen goods, through routine stops. 

'Similarly, a camera can spot the speeding driver, but it can't stop them if they are under the influence of drink or drugs,' he said. 

'Investment in traffic officers does more than improve road safety, it produces safer neighbourhoods too.'

Responding to the AA's calls, a government spokesperson said a more visible officer presence will be achieved through a recruitment drive of thousands going into 'neighbourhood policing roles;.

They commented: 'We have made a commitment to delivering safer streets to secure more communities and restore confidence in policing.

'The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee will provide a more visible police presence and give every community a named local officer, alongside thousands more officers going into neighbourhood policing roles.

'Under the joint Roads Policing Review, we are collaborating on a range of pilots which will test improvements to roads policing capabilities.'