Complaints against officers

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Public scheme pilot sees 37 drivers issued with NIPs from 59 video submissions.

The portal can be used to report a range of offences including using a mobile phone while driving 

Date - 18th October 2019
By - Gary Mason

1 Comment

 

Northamptonshire Police is testing a system which enables people to report driving offences by uploading dashcam and mobile phone video evidence via an online portal.

The footage is uploaded alongside a form recording what happened, which can then be used to take action against drivers if an offence is confirmed by road policing officers.

Similar initiatives have been taken by other forces’ road policing teams including West Midlands Police.

Run by the Force’s Safer Roads Team, Operation Snap has already seen action taken against 37 drivers from the 59 video submissions received during the scheme’s introductory test period.

During the trial period, three drivers submitting reports went on to receive Notices of Prosecution (NIPs) themselves.

PC David Lee of the Safer Roads Team said: “We know members of the public see bad and dangerous driving all the time. This new service allows people to share evidence of that with us quickly and easily so we can take prompt and appropriate action.”

PC Lee said: “It's really important that people submitting footage do so as soon as possible after the incident, as if an offence has been committed we only have 14 days to send out the Notice of Intended Prosecution.'

The report can be used for the offences of dangerous driving, careless driving, driving without due care and attention, using a mobile phone while driving, not wearing a seatbelt, failing to stop at a red traffic light, crossing solid white lines and offences where a driver is not in proper control of a vehicle. It cannot be used to report collisions.

Drivers making a report upload their video footage and fill out a form which automatically creates a witness statement to provide a full account of the incident. Reports are triaged by trained police staff to check they fall within the scheme's remit and contain clear views of offenders' number plates so they can be identified.

If they do, police officers in the Safer Roads Team then examine the footage and reports to identify offences and begin legal proceedings where required.

The reporting portal has been funded by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner with the support of the Department for Transport.

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[BlueBob + 691]

During the trial period, three drivers submitting reports went on to receive Notices of Prosecution (NIPs) themselves.

i can see the value of dealing with the more serious offences.  I wonder what the threshold for action is.  I know my dash cam could record loads of low threshold incidents.  Unless it’s truly outrageous I’d leave it on the card. I wonder how many are submitted by the more sanctimonious dashacm owner, only to find they are also prosecuted.