OPINION: Chief Inspector Stuart Fletcher, local area commander for the Scottish Borders, gives us an update on policing matters in the region...

With the summer holidays now over, I am keen to issue some important road safety messaging for those whose daily journeys take them past schools within the Borders.

Monday to Friday during mornings and afternoons, streets around our primary and secondary schools will be extremely congested, as pupils, parents and school staff make their way to and from these premises, either on foot, or within vehicles, at the start and end of the day.

Areas around schools will have a restricted speed limit and it is vital that this is observed by motorists to prevent collisions with any pedestrians or other vehicles.

Community Officers in your area will support Road Policing colleagues to monitor these locations and anyone found driving more than the speed limit will be stopped and appropriate action will be taken.

It is also important to observe any signage schools have outside their entrance requesting that vehicles are not parked in front of school gates.

This signage is not just in place to ensure easy access and egress to the school, it also ensures pupils have good visibility of the road when coming and going.

Of course, it is equally imperative that pedestrians, especially young children are always aware of their surroundings and do not put themselves at risk when crossing the road.

Despite speed reduction measures being in place, roads around schools will be at their busiest at drop-off and collection times and pedestrians are asked to use designated crossing zones wherever possible.

If you do have to cross a road where there are no traffic lights, zebra crossing or pelican crossing, then please do not attempt to do so from behind a parked vehicle.

Your visibility is significantly reduced if you do and even though vehicles are travelling at lower speeds, your chance of being involved in a collision is increased, as you are giving motorists less time to react to your presence on the road.

We would ask that parents or guardians of children being permitted to walk to school alone, either for the first time, or as a matter of routine, have this conversation with them to ensure they are aware of their own responsibilities in staying safe while using the roads.

Sticking with road safety, a joint operation between Road Policing, Scottish Borders and Midlothian Community Action Teams, and colleagues from Northumbria Constabulary saw us engage with motorcyclists travelling throughout our respective regions and provide them with a range of safety information to help prevent collisions and injuries.

In total, over 100 bikers were spoken to and the overall feedback from this group was extremely positive.

We will continue to liaise with vulnerable road users as part of our ongoing commitment to reduce the number of slight, serious, and fatal injury collisions taking place on the Borders’ road network.

Finally, I want to once again encourage our communities to take our Your Police survey, which is available on our website.

The feedback and views of the public play a vital role in shaping our policing plan for the Scottish Borders and we really do value your opinions.