Police are using unmarked speed cameras

Until recently the majority of speed cameras, static or mobile, have been brightly marked on our roads, but there is no legal requirement for them to be made so visible. Recently some forces have begun to operate unmarked vans, including the move by Northamptonshire Police. 

The van, a re-wrapped existing vehicle, will now be matte grey, rather than blue and yellow, with the theory being that if drivers know they can’t just look out for a camera they will drive in a safer manner. The force says the unmarked unit is to be deployed primarily on routes impacted by collisions and those where sub-standard driving is known to be common.

Northamptonshire Police says there has been a marked drop in driving standards since the pandemic. In 2021, 29 fatalities and 280 series injuries occurred on the roads within the Northamptonshire Police jurisdiction. In 2022, fatalities rose to over 40. Overall more than 50,000 motoring offences were said to be detected on the county’s roads related to the Fatal Five.

The move to deploy an unmarked enforcement vehicle by the Safer Road Team is described as ‘an unusual step’, albeit one in response to the worrying upward trend of deaths.

Northamptonshire Police insists there is zero financial incentive, claiming that zero profit is made from fixed penalty notices or court fines. In a statement, Northamptonshire Police Safer Roads Operations Manager, Matt O’Connel said: “It’s easy to criticise this approach as being motivated by ticket numbers or revenue, however, we see, all too often, the devastating consequences the loss of a loved one has on those left behind to pick up the pieces.

“We’re not going to apologise for how we police our roads if it means that we take the most dangerous drivers off them, especially if it means that we stop just one person from being killed or having to come to terms with a life-changing injury.

“However, with the level of offending across the county, we need to do something different, and the use of unmarked enforcement vehicles might make people think twice before taking unnecessary risks.”