Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Speeding Police - One rule for them, one for us
(From The Guardian) - For every 200 police officers who are caught speeding or jumping red lights last year, only 1 was punished. There were 90,480 offences captured on film. This compares to 80% of ordinary motorists. Only a quarter were on an emergency call.
So while the police are preaching to us about the dangers of speeding, and fining people who go 2mph over the speed limit, they are quite happy to break the law themselves and escape with no punishment.
Perhaps the most shocking figures were those of Thames Valley Police. More than 4,000 of its police cars were captured on camera speeding or jumping red lights, but not one officer was issued with a fixed penalty ticket. They were quashed by senior police who have the discretion to make tickets disappear.
Figures were unavailable for 15 of the 43 police forces nationwide.
So while the police are preaching to us about the dangers of speeding, and fining people who go 2mph over the speed limit, they are quite happy to break the law themselves and escape with no punishment.
Perhaps the most shocking figures were those of Thames Valley Police. More than 4,000 of its police cars were captured on camera speeding or jumping red lights, but not one officer was issued with a fixed penalty ticket. They were quashed by senior police who have the discretion to make tickets disappear.
Figures were unavailable for 15 of the 43 police forces nationwide.
