Preet Kaur Gill MP calls on police to dedicate more proceeds of crime money to road safety

Preet at a morning briefing with police

Edgbaston MP to gather city leaders to discuss joint plan for tackling dangerous driving, citing lack of resources currently being spent on road safety

Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Edgbaston, has called for an urgent meeting with the city’s leaders to combat dangerous driving in the city. 

Since June last year, at least 23 people have died in fatal collisions in Birmingham. In the last two months alone, two of Gill’s constituents have tragically died in road accidents, one of them who was just 20 years old. 

An FOI Gill submitted to West Midlands Police found that despite the force recovering £3,786,232 from the proceeds from crime in 2022/3, less than 1% of that money (£34,591) was invested into road harms initiatives. 

From 2017 to 2023, out of £14,438,393 recovered, just £62,346 was allocated to road harms initiatives. 

Preet Kaur Gill MP has emphasised that improving road safety should be a top priority in the city. She has called for a coherent road safety strategy from the police and is asking local agencies to look at pooling resources to increase city-wide investment into reducing road harms. She has urged an immediate meeting with West Midlands Police, the Police and Crime Commissioner and Birmingham City Council to discuss emergency actions that must be taken to improve safety on our roads.  

Gill has also called for establishing a Road Safety Steering Group with MPs from across Birmingham, the relevant ministers in DfT and representatives from Birmingham City Council to discuss the longer-term solutions. 

Preet Kaur Gill, MP for Edgbaston, says:  

“It’s heartbreaking that so many people in this city have lost loved ones as a result of dangerous driving. Everyone should feel safe on our roads. 

“Improving road safety is an emergency in this city. West Midlands Police along with Birmingham’s leaders must look at how we can work together to ensure that no one else tragically dies on our region’s roads.” 

ENDS

Notes

At least 23 people have died on dangerous roads in Birmingham since June last year