§ Mr. PicklesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will outline the type approval process for speed cameras and publish the operational guidance he has given to the police to avoid motorists being punished for errors caused by camera malfunction. [11217]
§ Mr. DenhamAny manufacturer wishing to seek type approval for a new speed camera device may approach either the Home Office or the Association of Chief Police Officers. The device in question will need to meet an operational need and either represent a technical advance or introduce greater competition into the market.
The Association of Chief Police Officers' Road Policing Enforcement Technology Committee considers representations from manufacturers seeking type approval. Where the Committee is satisfied that basic requirements are met, field tests are carried out and the Home Office, working with independent laboratories, conducts rigorous technical tests to ensure that the device is robust and reliable and that it can produce accurate readings or images under a variety of extreme conditions. The Home office has published handbooks for manufacturers about the procedures for type approval, outlining the requirements and specifications.
The Home Office provides a type approval order for any device which fully meets the specifications, and the device is approved for police use from the date of the order.
863WOperational guidance to the police concerning all road enforcement issues, including malfunctioning devices, is provided by the Road Policing Enforcement Technology Committee, and I am placing a copy in the Library. The Committee is reviewing the current guidance and will publish new Codes of Practice for forces towards the end of this year. Advice to police forces is that they should abandon any prosecution where there is doubt about the reliability of the device involved in providing the evidence.