Kent Police has dramatically admitted that people caught speeding with handheld laser guns during at least the last four months may have been wrongly convicted.
The admission came after details were revealed yesterday on this site of an internal force email sent to all south Kent Police officers instructing them that use of all laser speed guns had been suspended.
The email stated: ‘Following a court case at Folkestone yesterday and in liaison with the Criminal Justice Unit (traffic) a review of speed enforcement policy is to be made regarding the use of all laser speed guns in South Kent.
‘Pending this review, NO further FPN’s [fixed penalty notices] or summons should be issued.’ A source has told MCN the action is force-wide.’
The email was dated October 4 and said it was hoped the review would be completed within two weeks. It said officers would be notified of ‘any changes in policy required before any further enforcement takes place’.
Kent Police’s Sgt Lynn Castle said on BBC Radio Kent this morning that the court case had identified a problem with the calibration procedure followed by officers before using the devices.
She said: “It’s the setup procedure that the officer has not followed as per the manufacturer’s guidelines as to checking the distance and the speed and the alignment checks prior to the use of the device.”
She said a “quick revision of policies” was underway and that the force was “reminding officers what the policies are”. She claimed the devices would be back in use “very soon”.
She would not comment directly on how long officers may have been using the devices without correctly setting them up. She said: “I can’t answer that.”
Castle spoke on John Warnett’s breakfast show alongside an MCN reporter. At one stage, Warnett asked Castle: “If you’ve had a prosecution, I don’t know, four months ago, could it be that that is wrong?”
Castle replied: “It could be.”
Asked whether people who had been prosecuted had any recourse, Castle said: “I really couldn’t comment on that. That’s something you would need to go back to my supervisors about. I’m sure that some people may feel they have a claim for anything that’s gone on in the past.”
Castle would not offer any commitment that pending cased would be dropped. She said: “They will look at the details of the case.”
Asked what people prosecuted in the area should do, MCN’s reporter said: “Speak to a solicitor as soon as possible as it’s clear they may have been wrongly convicted.”
Kent Police had yesterday sent MCN a statement claiming: “There is no problem with the use of laser speed guns. The court case revolved around a technical calibration issue which is being resolved. Police in the South Kent area are to recalibrate their laser speed guns.”
Warnett’s show can be heard using BBC Radio Kent’s ‘Listen Again’ feature at www.bbc.co.uk/kent/local_radio/.
The interview with MCN and Castle begins 10 minutes into the show.
source: MCN
