Safe Speed Forums

To Hants scammers...
I have visited your web site and noted a number of missing documents


Under the freedom of information act 2000
I request:

• Partnership steering committee minutes after 20.9.05 to present day

• Current safety camera location map

• Financial Audit April to March 2006


Could you also explain how you are continuing to “net off” with these documents missing and out of date on your website. I notice that “The Avenue Southampton” is not compliant with government policy in this respect.

I have also noticed prosecution photos that should never have got to court.
• Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs before issuing a nip, fixed penalty notice and court summons

I have noticed that some sites have signing errors. These sites are supposed to be checked regularly
• Could you please supply a copy of the speed camera site checks for the last two years for Eastern Way, Fareham
• Western Way Fareham
• and Mile End Road, Portsmouth

Yours Faithfully Anton

Hampshire have updated thier steering comittee minuites on thier web site. The basset avenue camera is still missing from the map

Pete Hughes discussed the possibility of data sharing with the Crime & Disorder Initiative. Future proposals would enable CADI to view accident data on their system. Concerns were raised over the implications of this; specifically, validation and frequency of new data uploads and how this would affect its use, who would be accessing the data and how it would be interpreted.

......Moving on to FOI request number 238 my other FOI request. You state in your letter that the map of the camera locations was enclosed. It was not.
The camera locator does indeed show most camera locations. however the A33 Bassett Avenue route is still not there. There are mobile routes
for eastern approach western approach and a335/b3037. There is a traffic light camera marked for The Avenue but no mobile route.

I am reaching this map by clicking "camera locator" entering "Southampton" in the text box
clicking on "southampton, southampton" in the select location page then hovering over the camera symbols to see the name of the route.

I am surprised that you have no written process or training for civilian staff. Do you operate to any quality processes such as BS5750 or equivalent.

Julian Hewitt, press spokesman for the Safety Camera Partnership which oversees the speed traps, blamed the incident on two human errors and one by a machine.

He said the initial slip-up was caused by the camera operator moving his camera too rapidly between the speeding car and Mrs Fitzpatrick’s vehicle.

“The digitising system that picks up the offences identified the wrong car,” he said.

Mr Hewitt said normally such an error was picked up during the rigorous checking system in his office.

“This is a very rare coincidence of three failures in that system, and we are confident that it does not represent a significant problem,” he added.

Do you use an automated system to issue or handle Photos NIPs reminders and summons. If so what system do you use and are the photos manualy checked before the issue of a nip for thinsg like two cars in the photo or number plate mis-reads?

All our offences are viewed by Police or Police Staff manually. At this point a decision as to whether to issue an NIP is made with due regard to ACPO guidelines. The offence details are then sent to the Central Ticket Office who use the VPFPO system to issue NIP's reminders etc. In the event that an offence reverts to court process then the offence details are returned to the Safety Camera File Team for a file to be prepared.


Do you have a quality management in place such as BS5750 or ISO 9000. If so what system do you use?

We do not have such a system in place with respect to viewing photographs.


 Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs before issuing a nip, fixed penalty notice and court summons (a photo copy of a few pages will do, to illustrate the way photos are checked and a description or flow chart of the process).

There is no handbook as such. Viewing of photographs is conducted by trained staff who carry out what is known as the secondary check. This is where they calculate the vehicles speed by referencing it's position in relation to the white line markings on the road. Only when they are satisfied that this secondary check confirms the speed indicated by the camera will the NIP be issued. If they are in any doubt as to the offence being correctly identified then the offence will not be persued. A driver has the opportunity to challenge this evidence in court whereupon the viewing officer will attend to give evidence.

A. We do NOT use an automated system.

Q2. Do you have a quality management in place such as BS5750 or ISO9000. If so what system do you use?

A. As the answer to Question 1 is 'no', it therefore follows that there is no requirement for BS 5750 or ISO 9000.

Q3. Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs before issuing a nip, fixed penalty notice and court summons (a photo copy of a few pages will do, to illustrate the way photos are checked and a description or flow chart of the process)

A. Civilian staff are not used in the process for identifying offences from the photographic evidence. All camera operators and serving police officers who view their own deployment films. It therefore follows that no instructions books/procedures exist or are required in this partnership.
next question what about gatsos?

1 - The Central Ticket Office within Derbyshire Safety Camera Partnership does not use an automated system to handle photographs, Notices of Intended Prosecution (NIPs), reminders and summonses. Instead members of staff are responsible for manually carrying out all related tasks.

All photographs are viewed and checked by an operator before a NIP is sent out to the registered keeper of a vehicle. These operators carefully check all photographs to ensure that number plates are not misread and that the correct offending vehicle is processed. All vehicle details are manually checked by the operator against the record held on the Police National Computer.

2 - There is not a quality management system in place in the Central Ticket Office.

3 - Film viewing staff employed in the Central Ticket Office are not provided with process handbooks or local instructions by the film viewing equipment manufacturer, Star Traq. When the Star Traq equipment was first introduced into the Central Ticket Office, film viewing staff were trained in using the software by a Star Traq representative. Film viewers employed after the equipment was introduced are instructed by fully trained and experienced members of the film viewing team.

Evidence viewing and decision making is not automated. All evidential photographs are checked manually to ensure that the evidence supports the offence as alleged. Most devices take two photographs half a second apart and secondary check marks are used to confirm the indicated speed and, if necessary, to identify which vehicle was speeding. Number plate details are recorded manually and cross-checked against DVLA records (via the Police National Computer) to confirm vehicle make, model and colour. Document production and case progression is semi-automated using the Serco EROS system.
No.
The MPS operates safety cameras and other speed detection equipment in accordance with the Association of Chief Police Officers' "Code of Practice for Operational Use of Road Policing Enforcement Technology". This is available at www.acpo.police.uk .

Question: I have also noticed prosecution photos that should never have got to court.
• Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs before issuing a nip, fixed penalty notice and court summons

Answer: "our staff are given initial and on the job training when they arrive. We have nothing in writing."

What kind of a process is that!

.



All Notices, Photos etc are currently processed on a system called VP/FPO however we are in the process of changing the system to one called Startraq. All photos are checked prior to any notice being dispatched.


Although there is not BS5750 or ISO 9000 in place all Dorset Police employees work to strict standards, procedures & policies from Professional Standards or the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).


All staff work to the procedures as laid down in the Handbook of Rules for Safety Camera Partnerships (you may wish to view this on the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov).

xxxxxxxxx Constabulary Freedom of Information request 2006.587

On 22 October 2006 you wrote a letter to the xxxxxxxxxx Safety Camera Partnership, constituting a request under the Freedom of Information Act asking for information about any automated processes used for handling photographic evidence in speed camera cases together with any information held about quality management in this area of our work.

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 s1, I can confirm that the xxxxxxxxxx Constabulary does not hold any relevant information.

However, it may assist you if an explanation is provided to describe our procedures.

1) There are no automated processes involved in the issuing or handling of photographs or summons. Photographs are provided, on request, to motorists to assist in the identification of a driver, and for court purposes. In all instances, an Offence Processor will produce the photographs and verify them against offence details before despatching them or attaching them to a court file. Similarly, no automated processes are used in the preparation of court files, each file being compiled by an Offence Processor, who has access to all relevant documentation and computer records. The generation of Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) reminder letters is an automated process, with letters being produced via the VP/FPO application (Vehicle Procedures / Fixed Penalty Office) in respect of alleged offences where no response has been received to the initial NIP after 28 days. However, once the NIP reminder letters have been printed, an Offence Processor verifies the computer record for each case prior to despatching the letter to ensure that there is no reason to withold it, e.g. a minuted telephone call giving a reason for the delay in response, or recently received unanswered correspondence.

2) Civilian members of the xxxxxxxx Constabulary Staff process offences detected by safety cameras in xxxxxxxxxx The Constabulary does not operate under any industry standard quality management system, such as those identified in your letter. However, as a Public Service, it clearly has to be customer focused and, as an organisation, is committed to the National Quality of Service Commitment (NQSC). The NQSC details the core service standards which members of the public can expect to receive from any police force in England and Wales and a copy can be viewed on the Constabulary website (www.xxxxxxxxxxxx.police.uk/nqsc/1.html).

3) The checking and processing of offences detected by static and mobile safety cameras in xxxxxxx is conducted in accordance with the ACPO (Association of Chief Police Officers) Road Policing Enforcement Technology Code of Practice for Operational Use, Section 16, Safety Camera Enforcement, Office Procedures. A copy of the Code of Practice can be found on the ACPO website (www.acpo.police.uk/policies.asp).

I trust that this response to your letter satisfies your request in full.
If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to ask that we review your case under our internal procedure.

If you decide to request that such a review is undertaken and following this process you are still unsatisfied, you then have the right to direct your complaint to the Information Commissioner for consideration.

If we can be of any further assistance please do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours sincerely,

There is no handbook as such. Viewing of photographs is conducted by trained staff who carry out what is known as the secondary check. This is where they calculate the vehicles speed by referencing it's position in relation to the white line markings on the road. Only when they are satisfied that this secondary check confirms the speed indicated by the camera will the NIP be issued. If they are in any doubt as to the offence being correctly identified then the offence will not be persued. A driver has the opportunity to challenge this evidence in court whereupon the viewing officer will attend to give evidence.

...
Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs before issuing a nip, fixed penalty notice and court summons (a photo copy of a few pages will do, to illustrate the way photos are checked and a description or flow chart of the process).

There is no handbook as such. Viewing of photographs is conducted by trained staff who carry out what is known as the secondary check. This is where they calculate the vehicles speed by referencing it's position in relation to the white line markings on the road. Only when they are satisfied that this secondary check confirms the speed indicated by the camera will the NIP be issued. If they are in any doubt as to the offence being correctly identified then the offence will not be persued. A driver has the opportunity to challenge this evidence in court whereupon the viewing officer will attend to give evidence.

A. As the answer to Question 1 is 'no', it therefore follows that there is no requirement for BS 5750 or ISO 9000.

Q3. Could you please supply the process hand book or local instructions for civilian staff for checking mobile and static camera photographs ...