New Supercop Wants Speed Cameras Hidden

Transport News Network, 8th November 2005

Britain's most senior traffic policeman, Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes would like to see all speed cameras completely hidden and made mobile.

The new traffic supremo is not without experience. He has had two speeding tickets himself, twice the national average.

Sheffield, where Hughes is based, boasts the title for giving 329 speeding tickets in just five hours; and using a mobile speed camera to catch motorists, nearly £20,000 was raised. Around 5,000 mobile speed cameras operate in the UK.

One protection for drivers would normally be a speed camera detector, however most speed camera spotters work from satellites and cannot detect mobile vans. The Government tried to ban devices that can detect mobile speed cameras last year. They failed.

At the Police Federation conference last year Chief Constable Hughes said: "I think we have lost the PR battle this time and we shouldn't have." He was referring to speed camera policy.