New Supercop wants speed cameras hidden

Britain’s most senior traffic policeman, Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes would like to see all speed cameras completely hidden and made mobile.

The new traffic supremo is not without experience. He has had two speeding tickets himself – twice the national average. Sheffield, where Hughes is based, boasts the title for giving 329 speeding tickets in just five hours and using a mobile speed camera to catch motorists, nearly £20,000 was raised. Around 5,000 mobile speed cameras operate in the UK.

One protection for drivers would normally be a speed camera detector, however most speed camera spotters work from satellites and cannot detect mobile vans. The Government tried to ban devices that can detect mobile speed cameras last year – they failed.

Mark Cornwall of Carparts-direct.co.uk said: "Ideas like those of Meredydd Hughes have left thousands of motorists without a driving licence, many without a job or an income. People have been left unable to support their families – all for doing thirty-something in a thirty zone. Thousands more live in anxiety with points stacking up on their licence."

Mail order Company, Carparts-direct.co.uk supplies the £199 Quintezz camera spotter that does detect both mobile cameras and police laser guns. The supplier pays a motorist £60 cashback if the customer gets a ticket while the unit is fitted.

Over 11,000 motorists have bought the device in the last two years, and the supplier expects sales to rise further as desperate motorists look to protect themselves against more hidden cameras in the future.

At the Police Federation conference last year Chief Constable Hughes said: "I think we have lost the PR battle this time and we shouldn’t have." He was referring to speed camera policy.

Cornwall added: "If the Chief Constable believes that good public relations is telling people that losing their livelihood is good for them, he is bonkers. Last week I invited Hughes to debate the use of hidden speed cameras on radio - he declined. He has no intention of listening to the motoring public."

If Hughes succeeds in making more cameras hidden then motorists would have three choices. Fit a mobile speed camera detector, stay at home or have a seriously increased risk of losing their licence. If Chief constable Hughes cannot avoid multiple speeding tickets, we must ask ourselves what chance for the rest of us in the future.