County tough on drivers
Motorists in Northamptonshire are more likely to be penalised for committing driving offences than those anywhere else in the country, an investigation has revealed.
Figures released yesterday showed there was a "postcode lottery" in the way different police forces around the country dealt with speeding, driving while using a mobile phone or without a seatbelt.
In 2007, as many as 16 per cent of owners of cars in Northamptonshire got penalty points on their licences, compared with just two per cent in Durham.
County councillor Ben Smith (Con, Greens Norton), who is also a member of Northamptonshire Police Authority, compared the figure with the number of criminals brought to justice for burglaries, robberies and car crime, which currently stands at fewer than one in 10.
He said: "I am not suggesting we should soften up on policing road safety, or that in any way people should be allowed to get away with breaking road laws.
"However there must be a question about public perception. If the public sees that we are better at giving people driving penalties than we are at convicting them for burglaries, it can't give them a very good impression of what we are doing."
Northamptonshire County Council announced last month that it was considering removing speed cameras from roads around Northamptonshire.
Each camera will be subjected to analysis in the New Year to establish how effective they are at preventing accidents, before moves to take them down are approved.
Leader of the county council Jim Harker (Con, Kettering Rural), said the new survey showed why the review of speed cameras was necessary.
He said: "This is exactly why we are looking at speed cameras in Northamptonshire. Where they might have been relevant five or six years ago, that may not still be the case and we need to have another look at them to make sure we are getting the best results from them."
There are more than 40 cameras on the roads in Northamptonshire, which are installed at blackspots following serious accidents.
An AA spokesman said: "The figures clearly demonstrate that police strategies vary enormously.
"It is unfair that what you're doing in one place might not get you a penalty, whereas it might in another. It does mean drivers are a bit cynical about what goes on, because it clearly is a lottery," the spokesman added.
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