Researchers asked to decide: '˜Are speed cameras cash cows?'

Researchers from University College London are examining Safer Roads Humber, which operates cameras in East Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

Police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove said at public meetings and in letters people raised concerns that the sites were “primarily for cash generation”.

He said: “I hope they are wrong and suspect they may be in most cases, but I can’t prove it. British policing is built on policing by consent and I don’t think we have full public consent on this.”

He said the fact that the organisation raised their finances from speed awareness courses gave rise to the perception that there was an incentive to catch more people. There was also “no democratic representation” on Safer Roads Humber in the form of local councillors. Mr Grove added: “There is a perception that a lot of effort is being put into catching large numbers of people who are guilty of nothing more than a momentary lapse of attention.” The report will also look at the organisation’s tactics, claims for casualty reduction and the location of cameras.