UK POLICE CAMERAS

The United Kingdom has been using police speed cameras for almost two decades. The cameras are found on roadside posts and traffic lights.  There are also hand-held and mobile devices that Police Constabularies and local authorities can use. The purpose of these cameras are to help reduce speeding and to help prosecute drivers whom are found to be speeding.  The following are currently some of the more commonly used police cameras.

GATSO METER SPEED CAMERAS
The Gatsometer BV, maker of the Gasto camera, was founded by Maurice Gastonides in 1959 and originates from the Netherlands.  Gastonides was the 1953 winner of the Monte Carlo Rally.   The police camera that bears his name is a camera that uses “type 24″ radar to determine if a driver is speeding.  They can be posted on a stationary pole, in a car or trailer, or on a tripod of a moving vehicle.  The Gatso snaps a flash photo of the back of a vehicle.  It is limited by using standard 35mm film that needs to be replaced and processed often.  It can be calibrated to know the difference between an HGV speed limit and a cars speed limit.

TRUVELO SPEED CAMERAS
Truvelo was founded in 1966 in South Africa and the company continues to grow today. Unlike the Gatso camera, the Truvelo camera system takes photographs, without a flash, of the front of a passing vehicle.  There concern that motorist would be distracted by a flash because the camera uses an infrared flash which is not visible to oncoming traffic.  Recently this technology has become popular because some European countries now require that a driver must be identified to successfully prosecute accused of committing and offence by a police camera.

SPECS POLICE CAMERAS

SPECS cameras name is derived from the name of the manufacturer, Speedcheck Services Limited.  The cameras are sometimes referred to as ?yellow vultures.?  They employ the use of Automatic Number Plate Reading (ANPR) digital technology.  There are at least two cameras that are fitted on gantries over the road.  They use infrared illuminators that allow them to capture information even in the dark.  They are set to obtain information from a set distance apart from one another.  Both cameras record information and then calculate the passing vehicle?s speed by determining how long it took the car to pass each of the cameras? viewpoints.  These are typically used to control and monitor speed limits on dual carriageways and motorways because they can monitor more than one lane at a time. License plate information is captured and stored.

While these are a few of the most popular police cameras used in the UK, there are many other models currently in use as well.  All of the police cameras captures vehicle information instantly but does not notify the driver immediately.  Many debate the effectiveness of the cameras and whether they should continue to be employed.