Public confidence in the police has been damaged by the use of too many speed cameras, a senior officer said today. Ian Johnston, President of the Police Superintendents' Association, now wants to see a review into the ‘unfair’ use of Gatsos because the public do not believe they are effective in road safety.
'One of the most negative aspects of how the public view the police is the use of speed cameras,' he said in extracts of a speech released ahead of the association's annual conference next week. 'The public don’t think they are fair and they don’t think there is a link between cameras and reducing road deaths or injuries. We should review the use of speed cameras.'
'I am not looking for their abolition, but I am saying that we must reassess them if we are serious about addressing public confidence.' Mr Johnston believes that public confidence overall is ‘dented and bruised’ and that officers should provide a better service.
The number of cameras has spiralled to an estimated 7,000 and critics believe they are simply used as a way of raising revenue for the Government. AA President Edmund King said: 'What the public get incensed about is the lack of common sense and flexibility. Policing should be about common sense.'