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Calls for police chief to resign after he displays picture of headless biker
Last updated at 00:07am on 27.04.07
Richard Brunstrom: 'Buffoonery of the highest order'
A police chief used graphic photographs of a decapitated motorcyclist to drive home his anti-speeding message.
Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales, released the horrific images without consulting the dead man's family.
One picture showed the man's head, with the eyes still open, on a grass verge. It was still encased in a red and white helmet, with the visor raised.
Another picture showed the man's torso - in a T-shirt emblazoned with an anti-traffic police slogan - embedded in a car.
Campaigners condemned Mr Brunstrom's actions as "deplorable" and called for his resignation.
The gruesome pictures were shown to journalists and local authority representatives at a meeting to promote the force's road safety work.
Chief Superintendent Geraint Anwyl explained that the man's head was torn off by the sheer force of impact.
He said: "His oxygenated brain went flying down the road for 50 metres before he expired. It is horrific, I'm sure you'll agree."
Mr Anwyl also explained that a young family was trapped inside the car, into which the headless torso was embedded, for 90 minutes.
Another picture showed two males, aged 25 and 16, lying dead by the side of a mangled car.
Both accidents were caused by the excessive speed of the dead men.
Mr Brunstrom, who has been dubbed the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban for his love of speed cameras, said the images were shown to drive home the horror caused by dangerous driving.
"We did it to serve a purpose. The images are there to make an impact today," he said.
He confirmed that the families of the dead men were not aware the images were being used in the presentation.
Although their identities were not given, the presentation also included details of a distinctive T-shirt worn by the motorcyclist, which mocked traffic police with the message: "P**s off and catch some real criminals."
Paul Smith of campaign group Safe Speed said Mr Brunstrom should resign.
"This goes beyond outrageous. It's tasteless," he said. 'If it is true that he released these pictures without first getting the consent of the family, then it is deplorable.
"It's buffoonery of the highest order. It is short-term shock-horror. It drives a wedge between the police and the public.!
Anti-speed camera protester, the self- styled Captain Gatso, said: "This further damages the relationship between the police and the public.
"It is another example of over-the-top policing that we have seen with the failed speed camera policy.
"Doesn't the family of the deceased have rights? They should have been asked for permission before these images were shown. It's unbelievable."
Mr Brunstrom said his long campaign to improve road safety now enjoyed the support of 70 per cent of the public.
He said North Wales Police led the world in reducing road deaths and his force had saved 53 lives since 2001.
He promised that the next phase of the campaign would be "softer edged, with more education and less punishment".
More speeding drivers would be offered the option of a safe driving course, for which they would l be charged at least £60, instead of a fine and penalty points.
However, he also promised that all new surveillance technology would be assessed, including tiny speed cameras hidden in roadside "cats" eyes'.
He said: "We're not definitely going to buy cats' eye cameras, but they are available and we are looking into them. We will always be transparent with the public.
"We may have a sign up for example, saying 'There are hidden cameras along this road'.
"But we won't have a big arrow saying, 'There's a camera in this cats' eye'."
A most controversial constable
Richard Brunstrom has earned the nickname "the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban" for his unstinting zeal on road safety issues.
In 2003, he called for the number of speed cameras to be trebled.
The chief constable was accused of having warped priorities when figures revealed that his force had solved only 6 per cent of burglaries in a month.
In the same period, his officers solved only 41 of 693 vehicle crimes yet issued 4,200 speeding tickets.
The following year he admitted ordering officers to "hide behind road signs and walls" with handheld devices to catch speeding drivers.
He has also faced criticism for a series of questionable decisions.
Last year, Mr Brunstrom personally endorsed a vending machine for drugs addicts in Colwyn Bay.
His force took out a newspaper advertisement apologising to a man who was dragged from his bed at gunpoint for a crime he did not commit.
He once used the word "queer" to refer to activities by homosexuals in public lavatories - escaping punishment by apologising for the "inappropriate" word.
In 2001 the force spent £4,000 investigating "anti-Welsh" comments by The Weakest Link host Anne Robinson.
Mr Brunstrom also defied Crown Prosecution Service advice by investigating claims that Tony Blair shouted "f****** Welsh" after Labour's poor performance in the 1999 Welsh Assembly election.
Reader views (6)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
The Police no longer protect us from us from criminals, into new Labours protection racket - programming us and frightening us into obedience.
A speeding ticket to me - on my current budget - woud mean that my family eat half rations for a week!
- Norman, Milton Keynes UK
Brunstrom's insensitivity to a family's grief ought to be privately and publicly apologised for. Since when does the display of gruesome aftermath effect those who flaunt safety on a daily basis? The causes and effects of an accident are not to be judged by all and sundry from either a media report, nor gory photographs. This is counter productive to road safety, as has been shown are speed cameras, given that most fatal accidents happen within posted limits. Show me a camera that can catch the inattentive, drunk, drugged, or careless driver at or below posted limits. Speed cameras are good for one thing - raising cash.
- Derek, St Albans, Herts. UK.
I am surprised by some of the comments posted. I believe that you are missing the point. It can not be right or desirable to show pictures of the dead without the families consent. I belive the vast majority would find his actions goulish and sensationalist considering the audience these pictures were shown to. It clearly shows poor judgement on his part and reflects badly on the police.
I am a heavy user of motorways and the roadways of this country. I dispute that speed is the primary cause of accidents. There are many factors which contribute to accidents, speed is just one of them. The type of vehicle, experience / age of the driver, road conditions, distractions in the car and knowledge of the area.
It seems to me that speed cameras are put in places where on the large part they are designed for revenue generation purposes and not for the benefit of road users. I have never seen a camera near a school for example where I doubt few people would complain. The vast majority of camera's are usually on areas coming in to or leaving a town or city. these camera's rarely catch any of the local population but only visitors and tourists.
- Graham Best, Crewe
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