West Midlands police to switch off all speed cameras

PA

West Midlands Police Force are planning to turn off their remaining 73 working speed cameras in April 2013, and will replace them with camera vans.

The Daily Express reports that the cash-strapped police force has to make £126million of budget cuts next year. Although they have 305 speed cameras and covert traffic light CCTV systems across the region, less than a quarter of these are currently working.

Although cameras hidden at traffic lights recently helped police to catch 400 drivers taking part in illegal races, the West Midlands Planning and Transportation Sub Committee agreed on Friday that they should be switched off.

A review will now decide whether to spend £489,000 upgrading to digital cameras at 71 accident blackspots.

In the last year, 37,000 speeding drivers have been caught by nine cameras in vans at the side of roads in Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Fixed cameras in the areas caught 65,133 drivers.

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