RE: Assault Fear Halts Cameras
Friday 23rd January 2004
Assault Fear Halts Cameras
Villagers won't get their own speed gun
An Essex village won't be given it's own hand held speed camera because the police are afraid that irate motorists may attack users of the cameras.
Residents of Hatfield Peverel are concerned about the dangers posed by drivers exceeding the speed limit through their village. A request for their own camera to be operated by volunteers has been refused.
Brian Ladd, of Essex Police commented, "It could end in a serious assault or just a push and shove, but we don't want to see people get into that situation. "
Discussion
This is the Local Council trying to make a name for itself. I live in this village which has become an access route from the A12 to extensive housing redevelopment in nearby Maldon. The council want to "discourage" motorists using this route and have offered to man a Safety Camera along the 30mph route. Although the volume of traffic has increased extensively the Police do not consider it worthy of a fixed camera because it fails to meet necessary criteria (like sufficient number of speeding motorists) - Good. I thought it was non-Police people who worked the portable equipment anyway?
the dodger said:
This is the Local Council trying to make a name for itself. I live in this village which has become an access route from the A12 to extensive housing redevelopment in nearby Maldon. The council want to "discourage" motorists using this route and have offered to man a Safety Camera along the 30mph route. Although the volume of traffic has increased extensively the Police do not consider it worthy of a fixed camera because it fails to meet necessary criteria (like sufficient number of speeding motorists) - Good. I thought it was non-Police people who worked the portable equipment anyway?
Its a speed camera not a safety camera. (pc creeping into everyones vocabs these days) :rolleyes.
Why are motorists refered to as a catch all group?
We have:
Poor Villagers too scared to leave their thatched cottages
Evil Motorists cruising the A and B roads of England looking for helpless children and old dears to run over.
These reports always make it sound as though the local people don't ever drive cars. Instead they are victimised by some uncaring barbaric group called "the motorists." Who enter "their" town/village uninvited cause chaos and then leave.
We have:
Poor Villagers too scared to leave their thatched cottages
Evil Motorists cruising the A and B roads of England looking for helpless children and old dears to run over.
These reports always make it sound as though the local people don't ever drive cars. Instead they are victimised by some uncaring barbaric group called "the motorists." Who enter "their" town/village uninvited cause chaos and then leave.
MilnerR said:
Why are motorists refered to as a catch all group?
We have:
Poor Villagers too scared to leave their thatched cottages
Evil Motorists cruising the A and B roads of England looking for helpless children and old dears to run over.
These reports always make it sound as though the local people don't ever drive cars. Instead they are victimised by some uncaring barbaric group called "the motorists." Who enter "their" town/village uninvited cause chaos and then leave.
Very true and it might surprise these villagers to find the worse culprits are themselves
Even if it is the villagers doing the speeding, I think giving cameras to locals is a good idea. As for being done by someone who can't use them properly - this would not happen as proper training is given and these things are very very easy to use.
This kind of scheme would probably work well as after a few weeks of 90% of motorists getting done, the residents of the new estate and village will soon know that someone is catchign them and they will slow down as they will not know when or where the man with the gun is. This scheme has been done in other places with sucess - in fact some have had the guns taken away from them after a few months due to lack of speeding!
The motorists should campain against inappropriate limits, and just put up with (and stick to) the current limit.
This kind of scheme would probably work well as after a few weeks of 90% of motorists getting done, the residents of the new estate and village will soon know that someone is catchign them and they will slow down as they will not know when or where the man with the gun is. This scheme has been done in other places with sucess - in fact some have had the guns taken away from them after a few months due to lack of speeding!
The motorists should campain against inappropriate limits, and just put up with (and stick to) the current limit.
puggit said:
the BiB just sent a nice letter saying you've been done, but we won't prosecute this time
If you were a particularly awkward and litigous individual could you then sue the police for libel? They'd either have to produce evidence of speeding that would stand up in court (which they don't have otherwise they'd prosecute) or give in?
.Apache said:
This scheme has been done in other places with sucess - in fact some have had the guns taken away from them after a few months due to lack of speeding!
Can you give me a link ?
I read it in a document at work, so no link. Was a while back, but there was some trials of this procedure by a police force, but it finished early as the initial number of people speeding was high, but after people got to know about it, speeding almost stopped. Like others have mentioned, there are quite a few potentially difficult legal issues that made it unattractive to the police (and the income was only short term).
I believe a village in Buckinghamshire ran a scheme about 6 months ago. Most effective type of this scheme i've seen is where the BiB were outside a school, and instead of getting the fine and points - the people who were pulled for speeding had to go and answer questions put to them by the schools children in assembly - there and then...
As you can imagine - that isn't a particularly pleasant experience - but I can tell you from the feedback, it certainly made drivers think twice about their driving...
Pretty sure it was a rural school - the road was travelled at speed - wouldn't really work for most urban schools, what with the "school run mum" in her SUV..
As you can imagine - that isn't a particularly pleasant experience - but I can tell you from the feedback, it certainly made drivers think twice about their driving...
Pretty sure it was a rural school - the road was travelled at speed - wouldn't really work for most urban schools, what with the "school run mum" in her SUV..
Apache said:
Very true and it might surprise these villagers to find the worse culprits are themselves
My mates live in Langham in Essex, lovely little village, but the amount of times I drive through the village being tailgated by one of the locals is unreal!
This is on a long road with two schools on it where kids regularly leap out of the hedges at you.
Worst culprits are school run drivers as well!
Bloody hypocrites the lot of 'em!
eein said:You'll probably find that the worst speeders were the locals who had been complaining about the "speeders through our Village". In all the experment of this type I have heard of, this has been the case.
This scheme has been done in other places with sucess - in fact some have had the guns taken away from them after a few months due to lack of speeding!
Well done the BiB...do these people have nothing better to do...as someone said are they all s...hey I don't think so...common sense has prevailed!!
As for Mid-Essex....we go through the villages within the speed limit...whether we go through quietly is another matter ;-) hey whats the betting they ask for a decibel monitor next
Alan.
s...hey I don't think so...common sense has prevailed!! As for Mid-Essex....we go through the villages within the speed limit...whether we go through quietly is another matter ;-) hey whats the betting they ask for a decibel monitor next
Alan.
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