Andy Cox

This week there’s intense focus on police reform. Also this week—today—I was briefed on a response where officers were flagged down and saved a man’s life: Immediate CPR, a defibrillator located and used, and the man regained consciousness. There’s much we must improve—and much we can be proud of!

Graduated driver licensing: Northern Ireland to bring in changes for young drivers The new rules will be introduced in October and are described as the most significant reform of driver licensing for 70 years.

This is real progress. Lives will be saved. Fewer young people will be left disabled. Roads will be safer. Tho why did it take so long to introduce this when the evidence is overwhelming? Why not roll it out UK-wide? It will happen eventually but delay has consequences.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

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“The BCU Commander is often stretched across several boroughs and is largely disconnected from local authority partners.” — Baroness Casey Review (2023)

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“Concentrating policing into larger command units diluted local ownership and undermined public confidence.” — Baroness Casey Review (2023)

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“Neighbourhood policing was no longer functioning as a service, despite assurances it would be protected.” — Baroness Casey Review (2023)

Reflecting on the proposed police reform…

“The move to large BCUs fractured local policing, weakened accountability and left leadership disconnected from the communities they serve.” — Baroness Casey Review (2023)

**London (Met Police) reduced 32 local boroughs to 12 large BCUs.**

How ‘Exceptional Hardship’ may help you avoid a driving ban Solicitor Shazia Ali on how the Exceptional Hardship argument can be used to request a driving ban review and what evidence may support a case

Safer roads and justice for crash victims should always come before the interests of habitual road crime offenders…

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/special-feat...

Number of police forces in England and Wales to be cut in major shake-up Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will announce plans for police reform next week.

Mega forces risk sucking resources into concentrated areas, weakening local policing & distancing police from communities. They also dilute accountability and make culture change harder (evidenced in Casey review). Focus on leadership, ethics & neighbourhood presence.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Northants Police officers may have to start declaring if they are freemasons, as review commences Two years on from former Northants chief constable Nick Adderley saying there was no legislation to allow it, the force now says it is conducting a review

100% support this. Surely if you believe in the values, integrity and purpose of the Masons, then there should be no hesitation in being open about your affiliations that might give rise to suspicion or perceived conflicts of interest? @nnjournal.bsky.social

www.nnjournal.co.uk/p/northants-...

I sat in a long slip-road queue this morning watching drivers force their way in far ahead—slowing everyone. They wouldn’t do this in a cinema or supermarket queue (for example). So why the entitlement in a vehicle?

Drivers who do this: please stop. It’s rude, arrogant and unsafe.

Driving is a privilege, earned through assessment and retained via acceptable standards.

Why should such people ever be allowed to lawfully drive again and share the road with victims?

We would never return a firearms licence to someone who unlawfully used a gun to kill. Why is driving different?

Casey & Henriques show oversized forces dilute leadership, culture & accountability. Mega-forces on the Met’s scale risk repeating this. I fear resources will be sucked into concentrated areas, weakening local policing. Presently we have a lot going on. Not sure its the right time for this upheaval?

Kettering PC uses overdose reversing spray to save man's life PC Jamie O'Sullivan takes swift action after finding a man in Kettering suffering cardiac arrest.

Sometimes a police officer’s greatest tool isn’t handcuffs — it’s life-saving medication and decisive action.

A life saving brilliant response by the officer!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Man jailed for at least 29 years and six months for murdering wife after child's new evidence led to retrial Robert Rhodes, 52, was found guilty of stabbing his wife Dawn in the neck, eight years after being cleared of the crime.

Time to ‘compel’ such appalling people to attend their sentencing…

Sentencing Rhodes, Mrs Justice Naomi Ellenbogen said Rhodes had shown "cowardice" by not attending the sentencing, adding: "Your wicked and callous acts have had a devastating and divisive effect."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...

Devastating news on so many fronts and for so many people! I have reached out to find out what (if anything) can be done to help. I had been hoping to do a RoadPeace challenge bonanza fundraiser later this year. Such a shame the timing has not worked.

Thanks so much for your support.

Hundreds of Met officers and staff declare Freemasons links Membership of the Freemasons or similar organisations became declarable in December.

Perceptions of unfairness—real or not—undermine public trust where private affiliations meet public duty. With over 300 already declared and potentially more to follow, transparency matters. I am not, have never been, and will never be a Mason. Openness counts.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I’m so saddened to hear of the closure of RoadPeace for financial reasons.

The charity did so much good — supporting crash victims, standing with bereaved families at their darkest moments, & tirelessly campaigning for safer roads.

I hope one day it can be re-established & continue its vital work.

YouTube video by Conquer Driving Speed limiters. #driving

Morning drivers, as you head to work this week, please use your speed limiter. It improves your safety and has a calming effect on surrounding traffic, reducing the impact of the irresponsible. In UK, over 15 people a week die in speed-related crashes. Guidance attached:

youtube.com/shorts/NwmD4...

Nearly 630 drivers dodge jail over their role in death crashes An average of ten a month are given community service orders, suspended sentences or fines instead of being sent to prison for triggering killer car crashes.

Let alone their future driving permissions…

Why is road crime treated differently to other crime? IMO complacency and acceptance of road danger as inevitable have dulled accountability. Strategy isn’t enough — we need a fundamental root & branch cultural reset.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Paris multimodal street

Paris goals

Paris goals.

Paris “school street”

IMPORTANT: Paris has more than “vision.” They have clear plans. Including a 5-Year Pedestrian Plan:
- 300 million € invested by 2026
- 100 new hectares of ped space
- 100 more “streets for kids”
- Focus on 0 pedestrian deaths #VisionZero
- Longer ped cross times

Does your city follow smart plans?

Thank you Phil! Nice to see you here too!

I’ve seen first-hand the utter devastation road deaths cause — families shattered in seconds, lives permanently changed. To dismiss this as an “utter non-problem” is wrong and deeply offensive.

The acceptance of this devastation reflects a lack of knowledge and ambition. We can do so much better.

Around 250 people a year in the UK are killed in drink-driving related road crashes. This headline below does a disservice to every victim and bereaved family, reflecting outdated and dangerous attitudes that still need to change.

Great post, Emily.

In 2024, more than 1,600 people died on UK roads. Yet a major new road safety strategy has passed largely unnoticed. This reflects media acceptance of road danger and a societal complacency—an “it won’t happen to me” mindset. Sadly, it can, and by then it is too late. How do we change this?

Freemasons to sue Met Police over membership declaration Freemason organisations urge the Met to drop plans to force officers to declare their membership.

Masonic membership carries a perception of unfairness—real or not—in decision-making, undermining trust and confidence.

If you belong to an Org you believe in, transparency should not be an issue.

I am not, have never been, and will never be a Mason. Openness matters.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Thank you Emma!

Thank you Owain!

The Verve's Richard Ashcroft gets driving ban for speeding On February 19, Ashcroft was driving a green 2018 Mercedes-Benz G-Class when he was recorded exceeding a 40mph speed limit on the elevated section of the M4 by 8mph at Brentford, west London

Pleased to see no exceptional hardship granted. Repeated speeding was rightly recognised for what it is — a serious risk to road users. Courts putting prevention first, not excuses. Accountability matters if we’re serious about road danger reduction.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...

Failure to properly vet officers resulted in serial rapists within Met ranks, review finds Abandoning checks on staff and officers was ‘a dereliction of the Met’s duty to keep London safe’, says home secretary

Devastating vetting failures underline a wider risk, as Casey and Henriques also showed. Oversized forces weaken leadership, culture and accountability. IMO creating mega-forces that mirror the Met’s scale only increases the risk of repeating these failures.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

Thank you @carolinerussell.bsky.social! I deactivated X and finally made the switch. Have been meaning to do it for a very long time.