Post by alpaholic on Apr 19, 2007 9:48:25 GMT
From: news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6568813.stm
Hundreds of thousands of drivers caught on camera speeding and going through
red lights are not being prosecuted, a BBC investigation has learned.
The figures, for England and Wales, suggest London is particularly bad, with
more than half of cases failing.
The BBC Radio 4 probe found cameras in the capital catch about 500,000
people a year, but a third of those cannot be traced to an address. The
Metropolitan Police said tracking down drivers was a national problem.
The Investigation programme found it was difficult to produce national
figures partly because there were differences in the way some areas collect
their data.
But according to figures supplied by Safety Camera Partnerships to the
government, hundreds of thousands are getting away with breaking the law.
Detection
Of the 500,000 people caught on camera in London each year one third cannot
be traced - either because they are foreign vehicles, or they are not
registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
There can also be other problems such as technical faults with cameras and
emergency vehicles.
About 350,000 people who have been caught are sent a "Notice of Intent to
Prosecute" but only 48% end up getting points on their licences and a fine.
"You need traffic police to catch the problem drivers." (Kevin Delaney
former head, Met traffic police)
Other parts of the country had also had significant problems, and the
programme said it had uncovered evidence drivers were registering cars at
addresses other than their own to evade capture.
The Association of Chief Police Officers traffic spokesman, Chief Constable
Meredydd Hughes, said detection rates for all crimes was 30% and that in
that context speed camera offences were being reasonably enforced.
Kevin Delaney, former head of the Met's traffic police, said the figures
were evidence of a wider problem that speed cameras can only catch people
who are basically law-abiding.
"Any form of remote detection such as speed cameras relies on the
information supplied by the public. If that is not correct then remote
detection immediately falls flat. You need traffic police to catch the
problem drivers."
Hundreds of thousands of drivers caught on camera speeding and going through
red lights are not being prosecuted, a BBC investigation has learned.
The figures, for England and Wales, suggest London is particularly bad, with
more than half of cases failing.
The BBC Radio 4 probe found cameras in the capital catch about 500,000
people a year, but a third of those cannot be traced to an address. The
Metropolitan Police said tracking down drivers was a national problem.
The Investigation programme found it was difficult to produce national
figures partly because there were differences in the way some areas collect
their data.
But according to figures supplied by Safety Camera Partnerships to the
government, hundreds of thousands are getting away with breaking the law.
Detection
Of the 500,000 people caught on camera in London each year one third cannot
be traced - either because they are foreign vehicles, or they are not
registered with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
There can also be other problems such as technical faults with cameras and
emergency vehicles.
About 350,000 people who have been caught are sent a "Notice of Intent to
Prosecute" but only 48% end up getting points on their licences and a fine.
"You need traffic police to catch the problem drivers." (Kevin Delaney
former head, Met traffic police)
Other parts of the country had also had significant problems, and the
programme said it had uncovered evidence drivers were registering cars at
addresses other than their own to evade capture.
The Association of Chief Police Officers traffic spokesman, Chief Constable
Meredydd Hughes, said detection rates for all crimes was 30% and that in
that context speed camera offences were being reasonably enforced.
Kevin Delaney, former head of the Met's traffic police, said the figures
were evidence of a wider problem that speed cameras can only catch people
who are basically law-abiding.
"Any form of remote detection such as speed cameras relies on the
information supplied by the public. If that is not correct then remote
detection immediately falls flat. You need traffic police to catch the
problem drivers."
