SPEEDING traffic is a major issue of public concern in the parish of Exbourne with Jacobstowe, raised at successive annual parish meetings. In a recently completed ?Parish Plan? household survey, this issue was again emphasised by parishioners. The parish council has requested random police speed checks at speeding trouble spots in the parish, but to no effect. Local police officers have informed us they have been trained in the use of hand-held cameras and are ready to do the checks, but have no speed camera available for their use. The parish council has repeatedly raised this issue at Parish Link meetings to no avail; a letter sent to the Inspector of Police at Okehampton on October 7 2004 was not replied to; an email to Chief Inspector Steer on March 3 2005 evoked no response but a mailed hard copy of April 6 was reacted to on April 11 referring the matter back to the Inspector of Police, Okehampton. Unfortunately, we still have not received a reply as to why the local police authorities are unable to provide hand-held cameras so that local officers can respond to the parish priorities and provide a speeding deterrent. The absence of response to priority concerns of council-tax parishioners is regrettable ? does a fatal accident have to happen before something is done?
Michael Macklin Chairman Exbourne with Jacobstowe Parish Council