Police chief's speed camera shake up prompts privatisation fears

Private companies could be given the responsibility for handing out speeding fines after an influential police body suggested the work should be "outsourced".

Mick Giannasi, the head of roads policing at the Association of Chief Police Officers, recommended that the issuing of tickets and the collection of fines should be privatised to remove the burden from the police forces and magistrates' courts who currently administer the penalty system.

However, with local authorities removing their financial backing from safety camera partnerships, there is a fear that such a move could lead to the privatisation of Britain's entire speed camera network in an effort to keep it operational.