The Police or local Councils protect groups trained and operating to the required standard and from approved sites under their Public Liability Insurance cover.

To guard against aggressive drivers, at least one operator on the deployed team must bring a mobile phone in case it becomes necessary to alert the Police. 999 is the number to call.

Luckily, aggressive behaviour directed towards CSW operators is an extremely rare phenomenon. CSW Online are only aware of one near-assault case. The offender was arrested, charged and swiftly dealt with by the Court of law.

Many Police Forces, Road Safety organisations or Local Councils purchase and own equipment that they make available through the online booking system for local groups to use.

Groups or councils can purchase their own speed detection devices, either separately or shared with other groups in the vicinity. In Sussex, for example, purchasing of registered and approved speed detection devices can only be done through Police CSW approved channels.

The acquisition of Police approved devices must be kept under strict control as accuracy and conformity are necessary to retain the validity of each observed offence's audit trail.

Look in the Online Shop for more details.

Wearing Hi-vis vests or jackets is compulsory. However, there exist currently no uniform rules specifying the markings or text on the clothing.

Hi-vis vests, executive and bomber jackets, with the CSW Logo and the blue reflective panel on the back, are available from the CSW Online Shop. Black baseball caps with the CSW logo embroidered at the front are available, too.

CSW Online are promoting the idea of a uniform look as well as national standards applicable to all CSW activity and Police coordination/response/involvement.

The most commonly used equipment are based on radar technology and although approved for use in the UK/EU, they do not necessarily figure on the list of Home Office approved devices.

Home Office approval refers to equipment used for enforcement only. Devices in this category mostly use laser technology and require an annual calibration certificate as proof of accuracy when offence records obtained with this equipment is presented in court as evidence.

For as long as Speedwatch remains an educational scheme, annual calibration is not required in most counties. However, regular accuracy check of radar devices using accompanying, certified and uniquely numbered tuning forks registered on the CSW Online system is compulsory in Sussex, for instance. When tested before each session, an accuracy within +/- 1MPH is required before the offence recording can begin.

Training to become an approved CSW Operator starts already during the registration process. Before a new volunteer's details are passed on to either the Police or the coordinator of the group they apply to join, every new operator must first take the compulsory eLearning course and pass a multiple choice Quiz at the end.

The course consists of five 3-5 minutes long videos explaining rules governing Health & Safety, Code of Conduct and Roadside Procedures. The course can be finished in approximately 30 minutes and retaken as many times as are needed. Afterwards, the successful applicants are issued with a Certificate downloadable from the Training Section once logged in to their account.

After successful authorisation, all new operators must be trained in the practical use of the group's deployable equipment. Some groups have their own equipment (or range of equipment), others book speed detection devices made available to them by either the Police or a local Council.

A group's founding coordinator is trained by the Police. Training of the group's other coordinators and operators is then cascaded to any trained coordinator.

Practical training is usually done in conjunction with a roadside session where new volunteers are given instructions and an opportunity to operate the deployed equipment.

Dependent on the participating Police Force, various models are applied to accommodate Police interaction with Speedwatch groups.

Some counties use Safer Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPT, SNT, etc.) to support and communicate with the groups, others have dedicated CSW Teams working in partnership with e.g. local Road Safety Partnerships; and others again work in tandem with Special Constable Teams.

When Police Constables and Special Constables are present in support of CSW groups, offending drivers are often stopped and issued with an on-the-spot fine and points, or as an alternative offered to attend a training course.

When you begin the registration process, you are asked whether to join an existing group or create a new group. Always, first check if a group already operates in your area. You do this by following the 'Join Existing Group' wizard. When asked to identify an existing group, follow the dropdown lists to zero in on your specific area (county, district and town) and from the list of existing groups check whether one is to be found near where you live. If one exists, click on the group to complete the 'Join Existing Group' wizard. If none exists, return to the beginning of the registration process and follow the 'Create New Group' wizard to register a group in your own area. Please bear in mind that if you register a new group, you will automatically become the group's first Coordinator. You can later hand this responsibility to other trained group members if they wish to take on the job.

To register a BASIC group, you follow the same procedure as you would in an area already managed by CSW Online. Since the area has no active Police connection, the choice you have is only BASIC group registration. Please follow the instructions in this Guide.

If you have found that there is no group registered in your area, setting up a new group is the only way forward. However, be advised that the person who registers the group automatically becomes its first coordinator with the initial responsibility of setting up the group. To familiarise yourself with the procedures, please read this Guide to set up a New Group .

If you want to resign your account and have all your details deleted, you need to log in to your account. Once logged in, navigate to My Details, and click on Edit My details. At the bottom of that page is a button saying: I Wish To Resign From Speedwatch. Click on it and confirm your intention in the popup window. This will remove you from the the group, the scheme and delete all your details. If you wish to join it again later, you will need to sign up again, including pass the online training.

Newly approved and established groups can propose new sites for use subject to safety approval. Proposing new sites is done by Group Coordinators through the 'Site Wizard'. A 'Site' is defined as a combination of 'a location' and 'a direction'. Some locations are not suited for observation in both direction and consequently only have one site. A new site must adhere to the following criteria:

a) Potential sites MUST be within the area the group intends to operate.
b) There must be a clear line of sight of at least 100 metres to the approaching or leaving vehicles in the intended observed direction.
c) The site must have a safe area of at least 2.5 metres from the edge of the road to allow pedestrian room to pass deployed operators without the need to step into the road.
d) CSW activity is not blocking entrance to - or exit from affected properties.
e) If a proposed site is situated on private land, the owner MUST give their express permission to the use of their land for the purpose of CSW activity.
f) CSW operators and their activity is clearly visible to drivers of approaching vehicles.

When looking at new possible sites, please bear in mind that the following criteria DISQUALIFY a site:

a) Site is not in 20mph, 30mph or 40mph speed limit zone.
b) Vehicles cannot be recorded within 200 meters of the start, end or change in speed limit.
c) Site is within a newly introduced or revised speed limit (within one year).
d) Site is within a speed limit which has 'Project' status.
e) Site is preceded by Vehicle Activated Signs (VAS).
f) Site within the confines of an area which has a number of identifiable traffic calming measures.
g) Site identified or located within 1.5 km of a mobile camera or static camera enforcement site on the same road.

CSW groups operate from safety approved sites only. This is to guarantee that both groups and other road users are safe during roadside sessions. Occasionally drivers stop and ask about the scheme's or group's legitimacy, the precision of the equipment, or what the consequence or purpose of the group's activity is.

Most Police Forces offer groups a 'Letter to Irate Drivers' signed by the Head of the Department responsible the for Speedwatch scheme. Without going in to an argument with people, operators are advised to hand this letter to especially confrontational drivers. This letter is available to download from the Documents Library and is most often enough to deflect any escalating situation.

The CSW Online system also offer Emergency Dispatch Rooms an overview of all deployed teams in their area with all contact details, position, times, etc. If an emergency call is needed, Police Forces making use of this service will have all information at hand immediately.

Training video explaining how best to manage a confrontational situation is also available in the Training Section.