Images of South Yorkshire Police officers caught speeding by roadside cameras, but who later had their cases dropped, have been published under the Freedom of Information Act, it has been reported.
The photographs come after South Yorkshire chief constable, Meredydd Hughes, was banned from driving for 42 days for doing 90 mph in a 60 zone.
The pictures were obtained by BBC Newsnight and all showed officers on duty speeding, mostly in the Rotherham and Doncaster areas.
The officers allegedly refused to say who was at the wheel and none were prosecuted.
Because the drivers were not identified the cases were not pursued, it was reported.
The force apparently said releasing the images was not in the public interest.
But it is said the photos were released following the intervention of the Information Commissioner, who did not agree with the force’s reason for non-release.
In one incident the force reportedly argued that if the occupants of a police van were identified after publication there would be a ‘risk that those individuals will be vilified and as a consequence their mental or physical health will suffer’.
The BBC investigation uncovered 26 cases overall between 2003 and 2006, where South Yorkshire police officers caught speeding on duty failed to admit they were driving and cases were dropped.