Police do not normally support or encourage vigilantism so why do they encourage it against drivers? What with these examples, plus RSS Ltd, a unique company specifically about driver prosecution, drivers can be forgiven for concluding there is a police war on drivers.
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Local beat officers are not traffic or driving experts and neither are they politicians seeking a local popularity vote. So we are appalled that, in promoting local vigilantism, beat police are using politician's tactics for self promotion at the expense of road safety and drivers.
Do these officers understand the relation of speeding and the limits themselves? Do they even know how and on what basis, the limits got there prior to getting vigilantes to point speed guns at people? Clearly not. Nor do they care too much either it seems. Inexpert themselves, they are now encouraging amateurs to accost other members of the public with unwanted filming. When did we move from policing by consent to vigilante busy-bodies spying on others? Did we consent to that?
Then there is the profit. How many of these cameras are being sold to our police for profit? Who is making the money? How do these cameras get selected and by who and why? They can cost about £4000 a camera.
We advise drivers, who have reason to believe they have been filmed, to approach these camera vigilantes, politely tell them what you think of it and ask for their details. That is why police are identified by a number isn't it? In effect, it gives you the name and address of the officer. The same applies to these camera volunteers it seems to us. They must be prepared to identify and justify themselves to their targets.