The man in charge of road policing in Perth and Kinross has underlined its importance to the single force in Scotland.
Inspector Ian Martin, who is based at Perth Police headquarters, told The Courier that road policing was the second priority of Police Scotland when it rolled out in April last year.
He said there are five “golden threads” of Police Scotland and road safety is one of them.
Being part of a 32-strong team, which Mr Martin revealed was “beefed up” prior to the single force operating, he emphasised the variety of areas his officers cover.
“Of the top priorities of Police Scotland, road safety was number two,” he said.
“It goes right across the board and then the 14 divisions in Scotland, and most member wards plan at their local level. We have to make sure we meet the public’s needs and wants, so that’s how we try to balance and tailor road safety issues towards that.”
Mr Martin said the Perth and Kinross force has weekly road safety action plans that look at “emerging” issues. “This could be pre-planned events such as races on at Scone Palace or T in the Park,” he added.
“The meeting could be about football matches at this time of year and it might be about travelling supporters going to a game in Aberdeen and coming through Perth and Kinross. So you don’t want any road safety issues or anti-social behaviour.
“These fit into divisional plans, which fit into the overall Police Scotland plans. Now, all it takes is a phone call or an email to tee things up, whereas it had been a longer process before. It’s far easier to work together.
“I remember someone saying on April 1: ‘Isn’t great that we’ve now got a helicopter’. You could get it before but now if you have an operational need, all these resources are available.”