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From next week, the States of Jersey Police will start deploying two life-size metal cut-outs of officers in an unconventional attempt to tackle speeding in Jersey.
With 600 drivers reported for speeding in 2022, Jersey's winding country roads seem to be the private race-track of boy racers and pedal-happy motorists.
However, from next week, Jersey Police are trailing a unique new method to put fear in the hearts of any reckless driver who dares to go 21 miles an hour through St. Mary's.
To tackle speeding, two life-size metal 2D cut outs of officers holding speed guns will be deployed in speeding hotspots to remind islanders to stay within the speed limit.
The cut-outs, which have been dubbed 'PC Flats', cost £250 each and come adorned in standard-issue high-vis clothing. They will be attached to lampposts, presumably to prevent a strong gust of wind from knocking them over.
Aside from their psychological effect on drivers, PC Flats is also impervious to bribery and does not require a tea break.
Pictured: 'PC Flats' have been recruited into the Jersey Police force to stop speeding.
Such methods have been used in other UK jurisdictions, including West Mercia and the Isle of Man. The West Mercia iteration was first trialled in August 2022 and was named 'Bob'.
Unfortunately, 'Bob' was not universally welcomed by his new community. Brain Buttleworth, a resident of Bridgnorth in Shropshire, told the Birmingham Mail: "I can't see how this will work, you can clearly see it's just a cardboard cut-out. This is just a lazy gimmick."
In anticipation of such searing criticism, Inspector Callum O’Connor said: “We appreciate that motorists will quickly realise that PC Flat is in fact, just a cut-out, but we hope when they are spotted, it will remind those drivers who regularly speed to slow down.
“We anticipate a mixed response from islanders about the cut-outs and perhaps questions why we need to use them instead of real officers, but the reality is they aren’t replacing officers doing speed checks they are complementing existing policing activity in response to local concerns about speeding.
"If our PC Flats prevent one collision, then they have done their job.”
Pictured top: Can you spot the difference between the real officer and the cut-outs?
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