Organisation
University of Greenwich
Amount awarded
£13,750
Completed
2024
Uploaded to Knowledge Centre
10 April 2024
This report presents findings from a research project exploring the motivations, contributions, and experiences of CSW volunteers in Surrey and Sussex Constabularies – two police force areas in the south of England, UK.
The research incorporated a mixed methods approach including an online survey and focus groups with CSW volunteers, interviews with road safety professionals, observations of CSW shifts, and workshops facilitated during a project conference.
The research found highly personal motivations for volunteering for CSW linked to concerns about loved ones and pets, and wanting to improve road safety in the local community. CSW volunteers often referred to their contribution in terms of education, deterrence, visibility, and supporting the community and road safety partnership. Furthermore, volunteers and road safety professionals highlighted the ‘additionality’ that CSW brings – local intelligence, a community perspective, and enhanced ‘eyes and ears’ – during times of resource constraints.
Many volunteers reported positive experiences around their contribution to road safety, of feeling connected to their local communities, of receiving a good induction and training when they started volunteering, and of dedicated volunteer co-ordinators ‘on the ground’ and paid police staff volunteer managers. However, there were frustrations around the lack of community awareness of CSW, of receiving limited feedback on their contribution, and feeling that the police did not always recognise or value their role.
Research recommendations to inform CSW schemes going forward included: creating opportunities for CSW volunteers to come together; a more structured programme of engagement with police and other professionals on the roadside during CSW shifts; raising awareness of CSW schemes in the community and drawing on a broader network of partners with an interest in road safety; enhancing feedback to volunteers so they understand more about the impact of their contribution; and creating opportunities for regular recognition and reward communicating a sense of value to volunteers, and motivating them to continue giving their time.
This research demonstrates the contribution that CSW volunteers make and highlights opportunities for the police service to benefit further from the skills and resources they bring by embedding them as part of the fabric of road safety approaches.
Click the link below to read the full report:
https://www.roadsafetytrust.org.uk/small-grants-awarded/university-of-greenwich