Dorset Police

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUEST REFERENCE NO 2011-302Following receipt of your request searches were conducted to locate information relevant toyour request. As I indicate below, a large amount of the information requested is already in thepublic domain but we are not obliged to disclose some of the requested information.Section 17 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act) requires Dorset Police, whenrefusing to provide such information (because the information is exempt) to provide you theapplicant with a notice which: (a) states that fact, (b) specifies the exemption in question and(c) states (if that would not otherwise be apparent) why the exemption applies.Your request has been considered and we are not obliged to meet your request as I considerthe following exemptions to apply:A large amount of the information you require is already published on the Dorset SafetyCamera Partnership (DSCP) and Dorset Police Authority website therefore Dorset Police areexempt from the duty to supply this requested information by virtue of Section 21 of theFreedom of Information Act 2000 – Information accessible to the applicant by other means.Certain specific detail regarding Speeding and Enforcement tactics related to question 5 isexempt from publication by virtue of Section 31 (1) (a, b, &c) of the Act – Law Enforcement.My application of this exemption is addressed after the relevant question listed below.(1) Which are the top 5 revenue-earning camera locations in the most recent year forwhich figures are available, and how much revenue does each collect?Speed cameras are for the purposes of speeding detection and will as a result issue a Noticeof Intended Prosecution. The outcome of which could be a fixed penalty, summons or option topartake in the Drivers Awareness Course and thus do not always generate direct revenue.Available within the Annual Audited Accounts pages of the DSCP website is the followingstatement containing the most recent statistics for the Total number of Notice of IntendedProsecution and other payment and disposal related information for Speeding Offences;http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/images/stories/microsoft_word_-_nips_issued_from_april_2010_-_march_2011_inc_ed_options.pdfThe SEES (Safety Education and Enforcement Services) Outturn report is published annuallyand can be found on the Dorset Police Authority website via the link below. The Aim of thisreport is to advise members of the draft final accounts for the Dorset Road Safe (DRS), theDriver Awareness Scheme (DAS) and planned expenditure for the 2010/11 financial year andcontains information about the revenue generated from DAS (Drivers Awareness Scheme).http://www.dpa.police.uk/pdf/PA230611_24_SEES_Financial_Outturn_Year_Ending_31_March_2011.pdfI will now address Q2, 3 & 4 of your request together and do so below;(2) Which are the top 5 busiest cameras in the most recent year for which figures areavailable, measured as a total number and as the average number of offences per dayduring that year?(3) For those 5 busiest cameras, on how many days of the year were the camerasloaded and operating?(This question is being asked to enable more meaningful comparison between differentsites)Time taken to formulate response: 6 hours

(4) What is the speed limit at each of those 5 sites?I provide a link below to the Freedom of Information Publication Scheme of the DSCP website.This page contains a list of fixed camera sites within Dorset giving the Speed Limit, DSCP Livedate, Collision Statistics for that camera site, Latest Speed Survey March 2010, statistics ofthe number of NIP’s (Notice of Intended Prosecution) at the site for the last 4 years.http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=35&Itemid=53The two links below provide the same data; the first for Red Light Camera Sites within Dorsetand the second for Mobile and Laser Camera Sites.http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=37&Itemid=55http://www.dorsetroadsafe.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=287&Itemid=122(5)At what threshold above the speed limit are the cameras activated?We are not obliged to provide you with the information you require as such detail is exemptfrom publication by virtue of Section 31(1)(a, b, & c) of the Act – Law Enforcement.This exemption states that:Information which is not exempt information by virtue of Section 31 is exempt information if itsdisclosure under this act would, or would be likely to prejudice;(a) the prevention or detection of crime(b) the apprehension or prosecution of offenders(c) the administration of justiceIt is common knowledge that Drivers will break the speed limit if the opportunity arises. Todisclose exact ‘trigger speeds’ will serve to encourage this behaviour and facilitate driverstravelling at dangerous speeds without fear of consequence.Public Interest TestArguments in favour of DisclosureThere is a public interest in Dorset Police being transparent in its decision making andoperations. By releasing the specific thresholds of individual camera sites, the community canbe made aware of the rationale behind speed camera enforcement across Dorset and howdata is gathered and decisions are made accordingly.The validity and benefits of Speed cameras are often a topic of significant debate negatively orpositively and are perceived to be for the purposes of generating income. Disclosure of thethreshold information along with other data available could serve to inform this debate.Arguments against DisclosureAll speed limits, road restrictions and other factors are appropriately marked for those usingany stretch of road and understanding of road conditions and speed limits are part of allDriving Education requirements. Disclosure of the trigger speeds will encourage drivers tocease abiding by the speed limits for a particular road or area and do so without fear ofprosecution. The police service is charged with enforcing the law, preventing and detectingTime taken to formulate response: 6 hours

crime and protecting the communities we serve. To release information which couldencourage offending would therefore not be in the public interest.BalanceThere will always be a public interest in the transparency of Dorset Police and its operationsbecause of its proportion of funding from the public purse. However this has to becontextualised alongside the substantial amount of information available to the public on theDorset Police, Dorset Police Authority, DSCP and Home Office websites.Dorset Police’s ability to detect and prevent crime and apprehend and prosecute offendersmust be considered. Any disclosure of threshold speeds would encourage offenders to speedwithout fear of prosecution and hinder these primary policing functions.Dorset Road Safe is an organisation committed to reducing the number of casualties onDorset roads by highlighting the dangers of excessive and inappropriate speed. Theorganisations involved in DRS are Dorset Police, Dorset County Council, Borough of Poole,Bournemouth Borough Council, the Highways Agency, Her Majesty’s Court Service, CrownProsecution Service and NHS South West. Working closely in partnership with the purpose ofreducing the number of casualties on our roads and maintaining effective road safety initiativessuch as the ‘No Excuse’ campaign the public interest in transparency is satisfied by theproactive and regular publication of data, such as that addressed at the beginning of thisresponse and informative articles within the media.After weighing up the various considerations I have determined that the disclosure of theinformation relevant to Q5 of your request would not be in the public interest.Time taken to formulate response: 6 hours