POLICE PROSECUTE THEMSELVES FOR SPEEDING
SOUTH Yorkshire Police took themselves to court today for speeding and were fined £500 - after a force vehicle was caught on camera breaking the limit.
The case - believed to be one of the first of its kind - was heard at Rotherham Magistrates' Court.
The driver of the unmarked police vehicle has not been identified but Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes pleaded guilty on behalf of the force to failing to supply the identity of the driver.
Mr Hughes - who is the Association of Chief Police Officers' head of road policing - did not attend today's hearing and magistrates fined the force £500.
The unmarked Ford Corsa was caught on a speed camera in Bawtry Road, Wickersley, in June travelling at 47mph in a 40mph zone.
But Rotherham Magistrates Court was told 'diligent' inquiries by the force had failed to identify just who was driving the car at the time.
Mr Hughes, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers head of road policing, pleaded guilty by letter to the offence. He appeared on the court list simply as the Chief Constable.
No penalty points were imposed after the court was told that Mr Hughes was acting in the same capacity as the managing director of a company and it was therefore a non-endorsable offence.
Prosecutor Stephen Acaster said: "Between June 15 and November 16 2006 the defendant, who was the registered keeper of the Ford Corsa, failed to give the identity of the driver who was guilty of a moving traffic offence, namely speeding."
A statement read out in court on behalf of Mr Hughes said the camera had filmed the Ford Corsa travelling in excess of the speed limit on Bawtry Road earlier this year.
"We were given the task of finding who was driving the vehicle but despite diligent inquiries it has not been possible to do this," he said.
Mr Hughes said in a statement before the case: "South Yorkshire Police have 3,500 drivers and 750 cars and we cover 14 million miles a year.
"Unfortunately on an average of seven occasions per annum we can't identify a police driver who appears to have broken the law in respect of speed cameras.
"Of course, many of our officers have to reach incidents quickly and are lawfully allowed to exceed speed limits, but we require them to formally report the matter. A few times a year this does not happen.
"When this occurs the Force, as an organisation, takes responsibility and these matters are reported to court in the name of the Chief Constable."
A spokesman for the force added: "We are willing to prosecute ourselves when required."
Mike Trees, from the force's Road Policing Unit, said it wasn't just police forces who were prosecuted in cases where a driver cannot be identified.
He said: "Speeding tickets incurred by limited companies operating large fleets of vehicles, such as Royal Mail for example, could be dealt with in the same way."
Last month there was outcry when a South Yorkshire Police officer walked free from court after breaking the speed limit - by the same camera on Bawtry Road - to collect a Chinese takeaway while on duty.
PC Stephen Akrill, aged 41, was cleared of speeding by Rotherham magistrates despite being clocked driving at 48mph on his way to collect an order of sweet and sour pork in the town.
He denied the offence but admitted he had been "foolish" for not reporting to his bosses that he had triggered the camera.
The driver of the unmarked police vehicle has not been identified but Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes pleaded guilty on behalf of the force to failing to supply the identity of the driver.
Mr Hughes - who is the Association of Chief Police Officers' head of road policing - did not attend today's hearing and magistrates fined the force £500.
The unmarked Ford Corsa was caught on a speed camera in Bawtry Road, Wickersley, in June travelling at 47mph in a 40mph zone.
But Rotherham Magistrates Court was told 'diligent' inquiries by the force had failed to identify just who was driving the car at the time.
Mr Hughes, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers head of road policing, pleaded guilty by letter to the offence. He appeared on the court list simply as the Chief Constable.
No penalty points were imposed after the court was told that Mr Hughes was acting in the same capacity as the managing director of a company and it was therefore a non-endorsable offence.
Prosecutor Stephen Acaster said: "Between June 15 and November 16 2006 the defendant, who was the registered keeper of the Ford Corsa, failed to give the identity of the driver who was guilty of a moving traffic offence, namely speeding."
A statement read out in court on behalf of Mr Hughes said the camera had filmed the Ford Corsa travelling in excess of the speed limit on Bawtry Road earlier this year.
"We were given the task of finding who was driving the vehicle but despite diligent inquiries it has not been possible to do this," he said.
Mr Hughes said in a statement before the case: "South Yorkshire Police have 3,500 drivers and 750 cars and we cover 14 million miles a year.
"Unfortunately on an average of seven occasions per annum we can't identify a police driver who appears to have broken the law in respect of speed cameras.
"Of course, many of our officers have to reach incidents quickly and are lawfully allowed to exceed speed limits, but we require them to formally report the matter. A few times a year this does not happen.
"When this occurs the Force, as an organisation, takes responsibility and these matters are reported to court in the name of the Chief Constable."
A spokesman for the force added: "We are willing to prosecute ourselves when required."
Mike Trees, from the force's Road Policing Unit, said it wasn't just police forces who were prosecuted in cases where a driver cannot be identified.
He said: "Speeding tickets incurred by limited companies operating large fleets of vehicles, such as Royal Mail for example, could be dealt with in the same way."
Last month there was outcry when a South Yorkshire Police officer walked free from court after breaking the speed limit - by the same camera on Bawtry Road - to collect a Chinese takeaway while on duty.
PC Stephen Akrill, aged 41, was cleared of speeding by Rotherham magistrates despite being clocked driving at 48mph on his way to collect an order of sweet and sour pork in the town.
He denied the offence but admitted he had been "foolish" for not reporting to his bosses that he had triggered the camera.
Speed camera on Bawtry Road which caught speeding officer