MORE police officers have been appointed to make up a new speed enforcement squad dedicated to reducing casualties on roads.

The team of ten officers will be carrying out high profile speed-traps and educating drivers about the dangers of inappropriate speed.

The team has been funded under the Safer Roads Campaign, which aims to reduce casualties on the roads of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire, by encouraging drivers to reduce their speed.

Insp Malcolm Collis, who heads the Safer Roads Campaign, said: "The new team will provide a visible deterrent to speeding motorists and will also be able to explain to drivers why reducing speed is a crucial part of road safety."

He added: "We know some members of the driving public are critical about the focus on speed enforcement but we have to take every measure available to make roads safer."

Spokesman for the Association of British Drivers, Damon Green, who works in Seer Green, gave a cautious welcome to the proposals.

Mr Green said: "We would support the new officers subject to them educating drivers about inappropriate speed."

He added: "What I suspect is they will target drivers on perfectly straight roads and not educate drivers outside schools at 8.30am when driving at 30mph may be within the speed limit but inappropriate for that time."

The Safer Roads Campaign, which began last April, is funded by revenue from speed cameras and is part of a national pilot project to reinvest fines revenue in road safety.