Number of traffic cops falls by over 1000 in 10 years as the AA calls for change
Mon, 27 Jul 2026
New figures released by the Home Office confirm a continuing trend of fewer traffic police officers in England and Wales.
The AA notes that as of 31 March 2026, there were 4143 traffic officers policing English and Welsh roads, down just six compared with a year ago. More significantly, that total is 1094 fewer than when traffic officer numbers peaked in 2016.
Driving without consequences
As a result, the AA is calling for a reversal of the trend, encouraging the recruitment of 1000 new traffic police officers to oversee driving behaviour across the UK.
Adding weight to its calls, the AA polled its members for their opinions on driving behaviours and whether the reduced number of traffic police officers had any impact on their perceptions of road safety.
The poll ran from 15 to 20 May 2026, receiving 12,479 responses, with 55% of respondents saying that they felt acts of careless driving, such as middle lane-hogging and tailgating, were going unpunished due to the lack of regular traffic police presence.
The AA's members also said that they believed other offences, including not wearing a seatbelt (47%), using a handheld mobile phone (46%) and drug driving (43%) are also going unnoticed and unpunished due to the reduction in traffic police headcount.
Call for more traffic police
When asked what could be done, 88% of respondents agreed that a more visible roads policing presence would make their communities safer.
Further questions revealed that 79% of those who participated in the survey thought that crimes such as vehicle theft, drug dealing and human trafficking could be better tackled with more traffic units.
"Drivers are telling us loud and clear that they want traffic offences to be dealt with," says Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, "but the continuous fall in traffic police is making it easier for people to get away with it.
"Be it drink or drug driving, driving without insurance or using a defective car, too many people think it is going unpunished. While there is wide acceptance that cameras play an important role in helping to police the roads, drivers are concerned that forces are becoming too reliant on them.
"The public wants to see a proper visible presence on our roads, not just an assumption that a camera will deal with it. We need at least 1000 more cops in cars to help keep our roads safe, but also tackle wider crime within our communities."
