Residents in Folkestone and Hythe are being asked to volunteer for a Community Speedwatch scheme that has already persuaded more than nine in ten speeding drivers to change their habits. Kent Police is recruiting volunteers across the district to monitor vehicle speeds at approved roadside sites.
Local volunteers trained by Kent Police use certified equipment to record speeds in 20, 30 and 40 mph zones. The scheme is educational rather than punitive and no fines or penalty points are handed out directly. Instead, data from speeding vehicles is logged securely for 12 months and repeat offenders may receive an advisory letter or a personal visit from an officer. Kent Police has reported that over 90 per cent of drivers caught speeding once are not seen doing so again within a year.
Volunteers work as part of a team that includes a Speedwatch Manager, an Engagement and Enforcement Officer and policy support volunteers based within the force’s Citizens in Policing team. Speeding was identified as a neighbourhood priority in Hythe after resident feedback, and crime data shows the area recorded 55 crimes in March 2026 alone. Community concern has focused particularly on road safety near schools.
The initiative builds on earlier efforts by Folkestone Town Council, which bought Speedwatch equipment back in 2009 to supplement the single screen that police then used across Shepway. More recently, Kent Police ran a targeted enforcement operation in Gravesend on 21 May 2026 along Pelham Road and Overcliffe, issuing over 15 tickets. The force is also considering introducing 20 mph limits in areas where speeding remains a recurring issue.
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