Safe Speed Forums

Two articles:

Police: We're Getting the Blame for Speed Cameras
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2920983

Police worried by speed cameras
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArt ... ction=news

The first article, from the Scotsman, the website is in workshops for maintenance, probably up un the ramps for an oil change, tighten up a few nuts and greasing the the swing arms and new spark plugs

The Reuters article says it all, even the police themselse distrust the things.
The things are also operated with gross racial discrimination.
I was pulled over for having no reg plate on my HGV trailer, an offence.
The plate I had been given could not be safely fitted, to lose one on the road is also an offence, classed as an insecure load.
The copper said OK, off you go.
I asked, "what if I had been gatso'd?", the answer was "photo would have shown a danish plate, been ripped up and thrown in the bin".
As far as I am aware, there is a reciprocal argeement in place so that foriegn police can have a UK driver charged, so why don't the British police take advantage of this agreement.
This is racial discrimination!!!!!!!!!!!

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

And from Auntie:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3712095.stm

Police 'face speed camera flak'

Rank-and-file police have attacked speed cameras for destroying the relationship between officers and law-abiding citizens.

The Police Federation, which represents 136,000 officers, said officers are facing a backlash over the cameras.

"There is a general perception that it is a money-making exercise," federation chairman Jan Berry said.

The federation backs accident blackspot cameras, but wants an audit to assess if all existing cameras are needed.

The government says around 4,500 speed cameras are in operation, and Home Office figures show the number of fines rose from 1.1 million to 1.5 million between 2001 and 2002.

'Unpaid fines'

"We want some assurances that the cameras are being put in for safety issues. The government is going to have to demonstrate that in some way," Mrs Berry said.

"I believe some cameras are there as a revenue generator. I think police get the blame for that.

"I think it has been quite destructive - middle England will continue to pay their fines but others don't.

"There are concerns that large numbers of unpaid speeding tickets are being written off without any follow up."

The AA Motoring Trust's Andrew Howard said: "Maintaining public support for traffic policing is essential.

"While three quarters of drivers still support speed cameras, there has been growing concern that revenue raising has become the reason why many cameras are placed where they are."

Officer numbers

The speed camera boom has been accompanied by a fall in traffic officer numbers.

But the Police Federation argues that speed cameras lack an officer's power of discretion.

"I don't think you can remove the human element from policing and replace it with a camera," Mrs Berry said.

"If you are going 35mph at 2am in a 30mph area and there is no other traffic on the road it would be extremely unusual for an officer to give you a ticket - a speed camera doesn't have that discretion."

The Police Federation also points out that cameras do not deter drink drivers, nor can they detect underage or uninsured drivers, those not wearing seatbelts, without a licence or in possession of drugs or guns.

"Technology is brilliant but it has to be used in a balanced way," Mrs Berry said.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

The Sun is a bit more direct:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2004221987,00.html

Now the cops cam clean
By MIKE SULLIVAN
Crime Editor

THE use of speed cameras has led to MORE deaths on Britain’s roads — and is letting drink-drivers go FREE, cops have admitted.

The hated Gatsos have even FAILED to cut speeding, says the Police Federation.

And using them as a sneaky way of raising revenue has turned the public AGAINST the law.

The union’s chairman Jan Berry said forces have become too reliant on speed cams rather than patrol cars to enforce traffic laws.

As a result, “several million” serious driving offences have gone undetected — making the roads more dangerous.

The federation’s annual conference next week will hear how fatal accidents are worse than ever and speeds virtually unchanged after a decade of speed cameras.

Mrs Berry said: “The cameras cannot tell whether a driver has been drinking, if they have insurance or are committing any other offences.

“The over-reliance on cameras is actually causing harm.

“The number of drink-driving offences has been going down while speed cameras have gone up.

“It is naive to think less people have been drinking and driving.”

Mrs Berry added: “Speed cameras have totally changed the relationship between the police and public.

“I have received comments myself about cameras when I have been out socially. There is a perception cameras are a money-generating scheme as opposed to a road safety one.”

Mrs Berry said there was evidence a huge number of camera speeding tickets were not being paid and were being written off.

The cams will be a key issue at the conference in Bournemouth.

Mrs Berry called for a national audit of speed cameras to be carried out. She backs those at accident blackspots — but said those which are not there for safety reasons should be immediately removed.

Jan Berry explicitly said on Breakfast with Frost that "there is no doubt that speed kills and that there is no doubt that cameras reduce speed and that cameras have a role to play" well it was pretty close to that I think. Is this a sign of confusion or just a plain old mixed message depending on the audience.
Still i think she is getting closer to the truth with her breakfast time quote than the cr#p in the federation outburst.

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It's Champion Man

Or she's had a bollocking for going off message.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

I have a number of friends who work, or have worked for the police and their advice to me is to follow their lead and buy speed camera detection devices - something I find very ironic as this is the one group that you would expect to be single-mindedly against them

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Tom

Sorry if I am not weeping into my conrflakes. I went down the six hills road in Leicestershire, got tipped of by a friendly trucker (thumbs down) no less than 4 (four) coppers in a layby with a speed gun. Not stopping anyone just "harvesting" speeders. Cameras = Police simple equation in my book.