-Caveat Lector- Speed camera at accident black spot is blown up By Athalie Matthews (Filed: 08/02/2003) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml? xml=/news/2003/02/08/nspeed08.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/02/08/ixhome.ht ml Angry motorists have used explosives to blow up a speed camera box, sending pieces of metal flying across a road.
The box was positioned on the A605 between Thrapston and Oundle in Northamptonshire, a stretch of road described as the most dangerous in the county. Twenty people have been killed or seriously injured in accidents there in the past three years. The attack came as the latest Home Office figures showed that the number of motorists being caught speeding by traffic cameras is soaring. Cameras caught 1.1 million drivers offending in England and Wales in 2001, compared with 770,000 the previous year, a 39 per cent rise. Nearly four times as many motorists were prosecuted or given a fixed penalty fine for speeding in 2001 as there were five years earlier. The A605 camera was installed in September 2000 and registers an average of 50 vehicles per month which exceed the 60mph limit. Drivers caught speeding are fined £60 and have their licence endorsed with three penalty points. There was no camera in the bright blue steel box mounted on a yellow steel pole at the time of the attack. The damage was estimated at £2,000. It would have been £25,000 if a camera had been inside. Northamptonshire police are offering a £2,000 reward for information leading to conviction. They have sent fragments of the box to be analysed by MoD experts and are awaiting the results. Alison Farr, of Kettering CID, said: "We are treating this crime extremely seriously. It was an unbelievably irresponsible and stupid act. The force of the explosion forced metal right across the road and, had someone been driving past at the time, the occupants could have been seriously injured or killed." Previous acts of vandalism against speed cameras in the county, which were introduced in April 2000, have been mainly limited to graffiti. One was covered with a tyre. Last week a camera was rammed and set on fire on the A338 near East Hannay, Oxon. Although more speeding motorists are being caught, the number of traffic light offences detected by cameras fell between 2000 and 2001 from just over 68,000 to 56,600. The likelihood of being taken to court for a motoring offence, rather than facing a fine, depends on where in the country you live. For example, Essex prosecuted just 19 per cent of offences while Greater Manchester prosecuted 61 per cent, the Home Office figures show. Of the total of 1.1 million traffic camera offences in 2001, 86 per cent were dealt with by fixed penalties. In that year, nine out of 10 of those found guilty of motoring offences were male. 31 January 2002: Dawn of speed cameras that never forget a face 8 December 2000: Speed fines to pay for more cameras 13 April 1997: Angry drivers steal off with speed camera Previous story: Coroner jailed for probate thefts Next story: Prince is told his GM views are 'criminal' External links Speed camera locations - Northamptonshire Police Project Laser - Denying criminals the use of roads [18 Mar '03] - Home Office © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2003. Forwarded for your information. The text and intent of the article have to stand on their own merits. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. 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