European Union’s commitment to empowering road police officers across the continent was solidly reaffirmed by Kristian Schmidt, European Road Safety Coordinator and Director for Land Transport at the European Commission in a keynote speech at the latest ROADPOL Conference in Fiuggi, Italy.
Schmidt acknowledged the growing difficulties faced by road police, referencing tragic cases of officers attacked while enforcing road safety. He noted that enforcement actions, such as speed and drink-driving checks, are stagnating in several countries, partly due to limited resources and fewer police officers on the roads. “Your presence on the road is crucial,” Schmidt emphasized, highlighting its role in deterring dangerous behaviors like intoxicated driving, speeding, and mobile phone use.
Legislation
Schmidt outlined recent legislative efforts designed to assist law enforcement, including revisions to the Cross-Border Enforcement Directive. This new directive, expected to be finalized by the end of the year and enacted by 2027, will enable improved cooperation between EU countries in tracking down offenders, particularly non-resident drivers, and will expand to cover additional offenses like dangerous overtaking and wrong-way driving. He also mentioned the upcoming Driving Licence Directive update, which aims to modernize driver training and facilitate digital advancements in road transport. Notably, the directive will mandate use of the RESPER network, simplifying the identification of drivers with disqualifications.
Collaboration
Highlighting the EU’s support for collaboration, Schmidt praised ROADPOL’s efforts and noted the impact of the annual ROADPOL Safety Days campaign. „Through the Strider II project, EU funding support to ROADPOL will cover range of projects and initiatives, from training programmes for roads police officers to campaigns to raising awareness about road safety“, stated Schmidt.
Future
Looking ahead, Schmidt expressed optimism about new technologies that could further aid road safety, such as automatic number plate recognition and mobile phone detection cameras. He encouraged road police to adopt these tools, pledging continued EU support for technological development. “Your work is tough but essential,” Schmidt concluded, evaluating ROADPOL conference as a vital event for road police officers across Europe, fostering a shared commitment to road safety and collaboration in the face of shared challenges.
Event
The conference was attended by police professionals from more than 30 ROADPOL member countries who had the chance to see presentations by representatives of the governmental, educational and business spheres. The content targeted the introduction of new technologies for enhancing road police enforcement work with topics spreading from implementation of AI solutions, smart infrastructural measures and connected mobility to advanced enforcement methods against speeding, drink-driving and red light violations.