Key Scottish Safety Camera Programme Statistics, 2011
An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland Key Scottish Safety Camera Programme Statistics, 2011
Offences
The images taken when a safety camera is activated are reviewed to confirm that an identifiable offence has occurred. Once satisfied that the camera has detected a speeding, or red-light traffic offence, a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) is sent to the registered keeper of the vehicle. The registered keeper is legally obliged to provide information to identify the driver of the vehicle at the time of the alleged offence to the police.
Where appropriate an alleged offender is issued with a Conditional Offer of a Fixed Penalty Notice (COFPN). Alternatively they may be reported directly to the procurator fiscal for consideration of a prosecution.
Audited details of the number of NIP sent to registered keepers, COFPN issued and the number of COFPN paid in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2010-11 are reproduced in the following table[9].
Table 7: NIP and COFPN per financial year
| Year | NIP issued | COFPN issued | Cumulative %: COFPN / NIP | COFPN paid | Cumulative %: paid / issued |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01-02[10] | 73,700 | 32,678 | 44.3% | 28,982 | 88.7% |
| 02-03[11] | 67,736 | 43,893 | 54.1% | 39,496 | 89.4% |
| 03-04[12] | 169,147 | 132,295 | 67.2% | 115,791 | 88.2% |
| 04-05[13] | 199,572 | 161,574 | 72.6% | 144,235 | 88.7% |
| 05-06 | 164,785 | 127,374 | 73.8% | 113,566 | 88.8% |
| 06-07[14] | 170,020 | 127,607 | 74.0% | 114,107 | 88.9% |
| 07-08 | 120,474 | 92,722 | 74.4% | 88,427 | 89.8% |
| 08-09 | 94,861 | 70,906 | 74.4% | 60,139 | 89.3% |
| 09-10 | 79,922 | 62,832 | 74.7% | 54,645 | 89.1% |
| 10-11 | 90,174 | 72,868 | 75.2% | 62,011 | 88.8% |
Over the last few years, around 75 per cent of NIP resulted in the issuing of a COFPN. For many of the partnerships the proportion of NIP to COFPN was lower in their first years of operation than in subsequent years. Several factors may have contributed to this proportional change, including improvements to working practices, and the allocation of police resources to track down offenders who seek to evade detection. The number of camera sites being enforced will also influence the number of NIP issued each year. These include temporary camera sites at road works and camera sites that don't otherwise qualify for inclusion elsewhere in the bulletin.
The issue of a NIP will not always lead to the issuing of a COFPN. For example, a COFPN will not be issued in those instances where the registered keeper is reported to the procurator fiscal for failing to provide details of the driver. Offenders driving at excessively high speeds are also reported directly to the procurator fiscal and a COFPN will not be issued in this case. Emergency service vehicles, responding to an emergency call, may activate a safety camera; a COFPN will not be issued in these circumstances if an exemption is claimed by the driver and is accepted. These examples are merely illustrative, and there are other legitimate circumstances in which the issue of a NIP will not lead to the issue of a COFPN.
Contact
Email: Howard Hooper
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