A row has been sparked in the North East after it emerged that there has been a huge drop in traffic policemen alongside a rise in the number of speed cameras.
There are fears all over the country that cameras are replacing traffic patrols and official Government figures have reportedly proven this is the case in at least one region.
It is understood that 172 traffic policemen worked in Northumbria in 2006-07 compared to 245 in 2002-03 while camera sites – which include fixed and mobile units – rose from 34 to 126.
The number of traffic officers also fell from 111 to 100 over the same period in Durham.
The number of road deaths in the North East is said to have fluctuated from 102 in 2001 to 132 in 2003 before falling to 128 the following year.
There were 108 deaths in 2005 and 109 in 2006, according to latest available Government figures.
Kevin Delaney, head of road safety at the Institute of Advanced Motorists, said the number of traffic officer had been plummeting for years.
Officers could deal with all types of bad driving while cameras were a ‘one-trick pony’, he added.
‘You can drive as badly as you like and unless you are unlucky enough to be caught by one of the few remaining cops or involved in a bad crash, your bad driving will go unrecognised and undealt with.’
Durham police force said the traffic police were not being lost but redeployed.
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