Here’s how many drivers have been caught speeding in Chichester district

The figures were shared with councillors by Chief Inspector Jon Carter during a meeting of the overview & scrutiny committee on Tuesday (January 18).

Mr Carter, who is coming to the end of his time as District Commander for Chichester and Arun, said the total was 8,716 as of December 20.

He said: “We know that concerns around speeding and inappropriate use of vehicles are felt in every single parish through the district and there are concerns that police aren’t doing enough to tackle it.”

Calling the figures ‘a startling number’, Mr Carter added that he hoped they showed that police ‘really are tackling the issue’.

He also refuted claims in questions from the public and councillors that officers spent only one day per month patrolling the district on the look out for bad driving.

Responding to a question from Sarah Sharp (Green, Chichester South), who asked whether he would like to be able to give more officer time to this issue, Mr Carter said enforcement alone would not solve the problem.

He added: “What we need to do is understand why people think it’s acceptable to speed and then educate [them] and better protect areas and people that are vulnerable to it through engineering solutions and, of course, enforcement activity.”