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'Police obsessed with speed cameras'
By David Williams Last updated at 00:00am on 18.09.03Drivers are being unfairly punished by the police's obsession with speed cameras, a senior officer admitted today.
Bill Harding, chief superintendent of Surrey Constabulary, demanded more "sympathy" for motorists who strayed a few miles per hour over the limit. He claimed that, in some cases, the proliferation of cameras could actually lead to accidents.
He said many forces relied too heavily on cameras to tackle speedingand urged a return to traditional policing instead.
Mr Harding is the first senior officer to break ranks with the orthodoxy that cameras will solve the speeding problem.
His comments follow warnings from other officers that "spy" devices alienate otherwise lawabidingdrivers. Cameras have a "valuable" role to play in cutting speed, they say, but over-reliance on them allows other lethal driving habits - such as drink-driving and tailgating - to go undetected.
Worse still, many devices are badly placed, resulting in motorists panic-braking to avoid being "flashed" and putting drivers behind them in danger.
The indiscriminate use of speed humps is also blamed for encouraging motorists to speed up and slow down with little regard for the safety of others.
Mr Harding - who has pioneered advanced detection methods at accident blackspots, helping to catch dangerous drivers - said that by relying on cameras, some forces were losing the chance to give the ticking-off that traditionally showed drivers the error of their ways.
"There is a case for warning and advising drivers who drive too fast, rather than always prosecuting them," he said. "Using cameras, we have no choice.
"We need to be able to deal sympathetically with the driver who unconsciously exceeds the speed limit. If you talk to motorists they learn and pass this on to others."
Surrey officers recently cracked a speeding blackspot by stopping offending drivers instead of setting a speed trap. After finding that most offending drivers came from the same factory, officers distributed leaflets to workers onsite, solving the problem.
Mr Harding said it was right to punish motorists who "chose" to speed. But cameras were so commonplace many drivers failed to notice them. They reacted better to flashing warning signs.
An extra 1,000 speed cameras were placed on Britain's roads in the past year, taking the total to 5,000. London has 11.5 per cent of them. Edmund King, of the RAC Foundation, said Mr Harding's comments were "common sense".
Reader views (2)
I totally agree with this article, the reliance on speed cameras is unacceptable and is dropping the standards of policing.
- Mr J.C Taylor, Carmarthenshire
I feel the above makes total sense, but I would also like to say that I have read several articles where police officers have not been on a case and have been caught speeding but let off, yet anyone else would be prosecuted. this makes the law a total mockery and corrupt.
- Mr Donald Mckeller, Dartford/Kent
