Home Office information about speedmeter type approval and dummy cameras
FOI 4741 We have a received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following: “As a prescribed device under the provisions…
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FOI 4741
We have a received a request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the following:
“As a prescribed device under the provisions of the Road Traffic Act 1991, all equipment shall conform as a minimum to the requirements of the Home Office and “The Automatic Distance/Time Speedmeter Handbook” issued by the Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB), Publication No 95. ). The equipment shall also have received ‘type approval’ (HOTA) from the Secretary of State at the Home Office.
37 Dummy units shall operate such that they are indistinguishable from a camera unit and shall appear so unless the housing is open.
39 Dummy units shall be capable of recording and showing on a counter the total number of vehicles monitored and the total number of offences above a threshold speed which is specified by the operator within the speed range specified in paragraph 19 above.
I have been told by a police officer, that the dummy can be identified by the fact that when a live camera in replaced by a dummy in the Gatso BV Type 24 AUS, that the unit then automatically activates in both directions and front flashes into the face of oncoming drivers.
If this is so, then the dummy is not indistinguishable from a live Gatso camera which only flashes the rear of a vehicle, and the intended deterrant effect of the dummy is invalidated.
Does this mean that someone could identify all the dummy cameras by their two way activations and put their locations on a website for all potential speeders to ignore?
Although I find the above hard to beleive, I would be most grateful for any information you can give me on this matter.”