MPs call for road policing change

They want more police but more cameras too

By PH Staff / Tuesday, 31 October 2006 / Loading comments

MPs want more

MPs are to call for a change in the way that Britain's roads are policed -- specifically, more police on the roads. But that won't mean fewer speed cameras.

A report by the Transport Select Committee points out that the numbers of police on the roads fell by 20 per cent over the five years between 1999 and 2004. One clear result of that shift towards speed cameras as the main method of policing road safety has been an increase in the number of casualties associated with drink-driving.

The report, called Roads Policing and Technology - Getting the Balance Right' reckons that instead of spending the money gained from fines on more cameras, the police should spend it on more police officers on the road.

So far so sensible.

But there's a sting in the tail: not only will the report not call for a drop in the number of cameras, it'll call for the rules over placement -- currently fairly rigid in that a location has to be a proven accident blackspot -- to be relaxed.

In other words, they want more cameras.

Reaction came from road safety campaign Safe Speed. Founder Paul Smith said: "Any effective system of roads policing must have the built-in ability to identify rogue drivers. Speed cameras cannot do this, which is one reason why they have proved to be hopelessly ineffective. But skilled police traffic officers can detect and respond appropriately to all causes of danger.

"'Speed kills' road safety policy has not made our roads safer because it's entirely the wrong solution to a complex problem in human behaviour.

"Speed cameras are supported only by grossly misrepresented and misleading statistics. It is a great tragedy that Department for Transport has not had the courage or decency to highlight the flaws and limitations."