Community Speedwatch Briefing- Tuesday 8th September 2026- 11:00am

Dear residents of Westgate on Sea,

    Road safety and vehicles exceeding the speed limit has regularly been raised as a primary concern to me as the Beat Officer for Westgate on Sea. As part of Kent Police's efforts to address this concern we are proposing to restart the Westgate on Sea Community Speedwatch Scheme. 

   We will be hosting a briefing event on Tuesday 8th September 2026 at 11:00am at Westgate on Sea Town Council Offices, St. Mildred's Road, Westgate on Sea. Please feel free to come along if this is something you would be interested in joining or would like to learn more about the scheme. A digital recording of the briefing will also be created for those unable to attend in person. 

Speedwatch is a scheme where community volunteers help reduce excessive speeds on their local roads without penalising drivers.

Schemes are owned and operated by local communities with support from Kent Police.

Operating at the roadside in 20mph, 30mph and 40mph limits, registered volunteers monitor speeds using a speed indication device (SID).

The owners of vehicles who've been seen speeding on 2 or 3 occasions or have been recorded at more than 50% over the limit are sent a letter of advice.

If the driver has been seen on 4 occasions or 90% above the limit the letter is hand delivered by a Kent Police officer.

For more than 5 occasions the vehicle will be circulated for attention of officers to participate in re-planned speeding operations to detect and issue tickets if seen speeding at that time.

Community Speedwatch (CSW)

​​​​​​​Who runs the schemes?

With support and direction from Kent Police, each scheme is ‘owned’ and operated by its local community.

How do you start?

Community leaders such as councillors, wardens, community support officers or other motivated individuals identify members of the community aged 18+ who want to volunteer. They then buy, share or borrow a speed indication device.

To become Speedwatch practitioners, volunteers undertake safety awareness training and operate at risk-assessed Speed Watch sites.

Start-up, training and risk assessment advice is available for free from our Speed Watch Support team.

Is Speedwatch safe?

The roadside is potentially a dangerous place. Therefore safety is the primary concern and priority focus for everyone involved. Since it started in 2006, Kent Speed Watch has maintained a good safety record with no serious injuries.

Does Speedwatch ever penalise drivers?

Activity never directly leads to prosecutions or penalties. Letters of advice are sent to registered owners of vehicles and repeat offenders might expect to have their letters delivered by police.