subject: Thousands of drivers caught by speed camera [print this page] A speed camera in the West Midlands has caught nearly 10,000 motorists committing driving offences, it has been revealed.
According to information gained by the Express & Star under a Freedom of Information Act request, this number of road users was snapped by the device over a period of 12 months.
The publication asked for the details of ten cameras recording the highest number of people committing traffic offences by exceeding the speed limit in the area.
Police refused to say where the devices were located in case they were subjected to acts of vandalism.
However, they did note that three were based in Sandwell, four in the Birmingham West and Central area and one each in Solihull, Coventry and Birmingham east policing units.
Over the course of 2009, the machine that recorded the highest number of such driving offences clocked 9,451 individuals.
From this, 6,170 conditional offers were paid, meaning at least ?370,000 was gathered in fines.
Responding to the figures, West Midlands Police said measures to reduce the number of traffic offences involving speeding were welcome.
It noted that there has been a reduction in fatal and serious injury accidents over three years in areas that have had cameras installed.
The authority, which claims to be the second largest police force in the country and covers an area of 348 square miles containing a population of almost 2.6 million, has a Road Safety Partnership Board.
It is responsible for overseeing 300 fixed, red light and mobile speed cameras in the region.
However, the organisation is considering scrapping the devices due to budget cuts being made by the government as part of its attempts to reduce the size of the national deficit.
According to the Express & Star, ?38 million of the ?95 million annual budget for the devices has been axed.
