Top traffic policeman pleads for speed cameras to stay

Lives will be put at risk as a result of Government cuts to speed cameras, says Britain's top traffic police officer.

Chief Constable Mick Giannasi is trying to persuade Ministers to protect the cameras "for the future of our road safety".

Casualties had almost halved over eight years thanks to speed cameras and the public had come to accept them, Mr Giannasi, who is chief constable of Gwent Police and leads on road policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), said yesterday.

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According to a newspaper report, Mr Giannasi has written to Ministers warning of a rise in fatal road accidents as councils switch off cameras because they can no longer afford to operate them.

Last month it emerged that Oxfordshire County Council was switching off all 72 of its fixed speed cameras as part of moves to save money. Other local authorities are considering similar action.

The Government cut 38m from this year's road safety budget and ended central funding for speed cameras – a central plank of its promise to "end the war on the motorist" – but Mr Giannasi told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The evidence is that road safety camera partnerships have achieved significant reductions in road casualties over the last decade – there are almost half the number of casualties now that there were eight years ago, and actually there is very clear evidence to show that the public accept them.

"We recognise that we have to save money, we recognise that road safety has to play its part in this, but these cuts in particular are a threat to the future sustainability of the system.

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"So I'm working with the Government to persuade them that action needs to be taken to protect the system for the future of our road safety."

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of road safety charity Brake, echoed the calls.

She said: "We agree with Mick Giannasi that if we do see speed cameras removed on a large scale, which seems likely to happen, it's going to have a devastating blow to road safety."

A Department for Transport spokeswoman said road safety would remain a priority for councils despite the cuts to speed cameras.

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"The coalition Government is committed to further improving road safety but it is right that local councils decide how best to tackle specific problems in their areas," the spokeswoman said.

"We ended central government funding for new fixed speed cameras because we don't believe we should dictate to councils that they use them as the default solution in reducing accidents."

Since they were introduced in 1992, around 6,000 speed cameras have appeared on Britain's roads – generating around 100m a year in fines.