RoadPol
The International Road Policing Organisation (RoadPol) is a project of the World Bank Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF). The GRSF aims to generate and catalyze increased funding to support initiatives aimed at reducing deaths and injuries in low and middle-income countries The GRSF was launched in November 2005 and it commenced formal operations in April 2006. The Facility is a direct response to the global call for action by the United Nations General Assembly Resolutions 58/289 and 60/5 and World Health Assembly Resolution 57.10 to address The Silent epidemic on the world’s roads.
The need for RoadPol
The challenge and impact of some 1,200,000 road deaths and up to 50,000,000 injuries occurring annually on the world’s roads is significant. The social and economic impact of the road safety problem is growing year on year. Research predicts road deaths and injuries will increase by up to 66% globally and by 80% or more in developing regions by 2020. Road injuries will be the biggest killer of young males by 2020 and the second largest cause of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) lost for all males by 2030. The increases will occur in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) while high income countries (HIC) will by engineering reduce their deaths, but in many cases not injuries.
Police departments are principal enforcers of road safety law yet no global police institution exists to support this effort. Consequently, Police traffic safety response through road policing operations is inconsistent in quality and quantity. Research also shows that significant levels of consistent and fair enforcement of road safety law does help influence road user behaviour and produce improved road safety outcomes.
Roadpol has been set up to meet the challenge of engaging and supporting police, at national, regional and international levels, in road safety efforts. Police of high income countries have shared enforcement best practice for several decades. This knowledge exchange and improved performance is reflected in HIC road safety outcomes. HIC agencies have also been significant beneficiaries of the investment in capacity and capability through the development of current and future police leaders. LMIC police face a more difficult operating environment at all levels, than their HIC counterparts have, in addressing traffic safety issues.
Roadpol will facilitate partnerships between LMIC and HIC police agencies that have been successful in reducing road trauma. This will involve Chiefs of Police and their key operational road safety leaders. To date international effort to improve police engagement and performance in road safety efforts has targeted technical capacity and capability through training and support at operational levels. However, leadership development, a key focus of RoadPol, will generally assist police leaders, including appropriately prioritising road policing and road safety amongst their agency's many competing service demands.
Without well informed, capable and committed police leadership any aspiration to achieve successful and sustainable traffic safety police operations are difficult. RoadPol, through a focus at leadership levels, seeks to create an effective leadership cadre at the highest levels of police. This will recognise the critical role police has in road safety and help provide the impetus for the delivery of effective road policing services which will contribute to improving global road safety outcomes.
RoadPol’s key focus is to build police leadership capability and accelerate and facilitate the exchange of traffic safety knowledge with LMIC agencies. Support to police leaders is critical for them to competently and successfully meet the significant and difficult challenges, both political and operational, they face.