Devon and Cornwall Police volunteers trained to catch speeding drivers

Special constable Mike Fleming caught a driver doing 109mph on the A38

Devon and Cornwall Police's volunteer officers are being trained to catch speeding drivers for the first time.

Special constables have been given the latest Home Office approved speed enforcement cameras.

The force said it was the first time volunteers have been allowed to use such equipment for enforcement purposes.

It said one special constable had already caught a driver speeding at 109mph.

Mike Fleming, based in South Devon, said he had been using the new speed camera for just over four weeks he had recorded the 109mph on the A38.

He said: "I have been personally shocked at just how many people are speeding on our roads. Hopefully this expanded presence of speed monitoring will encourage drivers to slow down."

Devon and Cornwall Police said enforcement sites were selected based on statistics, previous collision data and complaints from local residents about speeding.

It said the training had been funded by Vision Zero South West, which is a partnership between a number of organisations across Devon and Cornwall committed to cutting the number of road deaths and serious injuries in the region to zero.

The group includes senior police and fire officers, leading clinicians, councillors and the police and crime commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Adrian Leisk, head of road safety for Devon and Cornwall Police and chair of the Vision Zero South West enforcement committee, said: "Driving too fast gives you less time to react and increases your risk of sustaining serious or fatal injuries in the event of a collision."

He said the special constables were able to use the cameras at any time of the day or night using infrared technology.