In article ,
Robin wrote:
They also have the police issuing letters that state a car was
exceeding the speed limit - no "alleged", no admission that there
might have been an error. And with no right of appeal - which is
justified on the basis that the driver can take civil action against
the police or the speed gun operators.

Poor diddums, getting a letter from the police. how can you appeal
against a letter, anyway?

Poor diddums? How would Speed Watch members like it if they were "named
and shamed" for making malicious accusations of speeding, with their
names kept on file by the police, and told if they disagree they can
just use the civil law?

No, they aren't named & shamed. It's a personal letter - no copy goes to
the press.

And an appeal process would be perfectly straightforward. The letter in
question (not to me) stated the vehicle in question was monitored and
found to be exceeding the 30 mph speed limit at a specified place and
time on a specified date. So appeal process could then look at
statements and/or oral evidence from the 2 (at least) members of Speed
Watch. Eg do they also take photographs? Both take contemporaneous
manuscript notes of the registration number? And of the
make/model/colour?

In Surrey, for a report to be made about a vehicle, make model & colour
need to agree with the DVLA details. It is of course possible that the car
spotted was using a cloned nummber plate - it has happened.


It could then hear evidence from others - eg the driver and his 3
passengers might give eivdence that the car was not at that location
then. And support that with their receipt for a meal 100 miles away?

Long before Speedwatch was even dreamed about (1960s), I had a letter from
the police suggesting that I'd been involved in a hit & run accident. I
was at work at the time, but I got a visit from the police to look at my
car.



The outcome could then be eg that if the balance of evidence favoured
the driver then the police in question and the Speed Watch members amend
their records to delete any referebnce to speeding by that car at that
time etc.

Speedwatch record are not kept by Speedwatch - they are handed to the
police.


And if there were several such succesful appeals involving the same
Speed Watch scheme then perhaps the members might be considered for,
say, further training and words of advice.



But of course none of that is necessary if all the members of Speed
Watch are incapable of error or malice, just like .......

everybody else?

--
From KT24 in Surrey

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18