FOI release

Laser Speed device UNIPAR SL 700

The request for information was sent to HOSDB on 11 December 2010 1. What are the official Home Office guidelines about the laser speed detecting…

From:
Home Office
Published
10 January 2011

Details

The request for information was sent to HOSDB on 11 December 2010

1. What are the official Home Office guidelines about the laser speed detecting device UNIPAR SL 700?
 
2. What is the nature, scope of ACPO guidelines with reference to UNIPAR SL 700 and how much are these binding/vital to comply by law for prosecution purposes?
 
3. Who issues the calibration certificate of UNIPAR SL 700 whether manufacturer or police or anybody else and how long it is valid for? 
 
4. What are the official contents of calibration certificate of UNIPAR SL 700 and on how many pages does it consist of?
 
5. Does the UNIPAR SL 700 have its own electronic log where entries of calibration dates and data saved or dates of calibration records in a separate log?
 
6. Does UNIPAR SL 700 record its test electronically inside the device when tests perform before activation?
 
7.What are the manufacturer recommendations for operation of UNIPAR SL700?

We released the information on the 10 January 2011.

 

 

  1. The only Home Office guidelines are in the schedule to the agreement between the manufacturer and the Home Office.  The only operational guidance in the SL700 agreement is that it is to be used as an attended, actively operated device.
     
  2. ACPO has a code of practice which covers this and other types of speed enforcing device. This code of practice, however, is only guidance and is not binding on the operators.
     
  3. The manufacturer issues the calibration certificate for the Unipar SL700.  The term of validity is one year.
     
  4. The specific contents of the calibration certificate are up to the calibration body.  The Home Office has, however, issued guidance on calibration and the contents of the certificate.  I attach a copy of this guidance to this reply.  I understand the current calibration certificate for the Unipar SL700 is one page, and it contains the results of a visual inspection, a report on test functions, alignment tests, range tests, and measurements of pulse frequency, wavelength and beam divergence.
     
    5.  The Unipar SL700 does not save calibration dates internally.
     
    6.  The Unipar SL700 does not save results of internal tests internally.
     
    7.  The manufacturer’s usage recommendations are in the user manual. 
Published 10 January 2011