Bolton Prevention Hub step up proactive roads policing of high-risk routes in the area

Officers from Bolton’s Prevention Hub have set up an operation which will target particular high-risk road routes in the area which has seen significant collisions over the past two years.

The aim of Operation Classify is to reduce death and serious injury on the roads of Bolton, which saw 71 serious collisions in 2022, nine of them sadly being fatalities. This trend, unfortunately, continued into 2023.

Excessive speeding alongside drink and drug driving and driver standards have been the main key causes of road traffic collisions in the area.

Working in collaboration with local partners, using data and listening to concerns of the local community, officers have identified several routes and times of the day or night where most traffic passes through that particular route.

Drivers will also see electronic message boards on Bolton’s roads with messaging encouraging them to take care behind the wheel, along with other preventative messages that are applicable for that stretch of road. 

Inspector Nick Bonson from the Bolton Prevention Hub said: “This has been an ongoing piece of work for us, something that has required a lot of analysing routes and data, which has led us to focus our attention on a number of different routes across the town.

“Although we are not disclosing those routes publicly, you will notice an increased police presence on the roads as we strive to bring the number of serious and fatal collisions down in area.

“The Neighbourhood Policing team in Bolton are routinely out across the whole district supported by the Force’s Roads Policing Unit, however, we are taking a further proactive approach to target drivers that feel they are above the law.

“I would like to thank Bolton Council and Transport for Greater Manchester, both authorities who have worked alongside us in identifying these high-risk routes.

“Please do take care when travelling on any roads throughout Bolton, the whole of Greater Manchester and beyond. Let this be a warning, if you are driving dangerously, on your phone behind the wheel or driving under the influence of drink or drugs, we will catch up with you.”