In a meeting of the Metropolitian Police Authority (of which Jenny is also a member) she will argue that the move will lead to more unnecessary deaths and injuries on London’s roads.
The row follows moves by the government to backtrack on its promises to cut speeding by announcing a freeze on Safety Camera Partnerships (the organisations responsible for installing cameras) from recruiting more staff. The freeze is likely to have a devastating effect on London’s safety camera programme as it is already has a large backlog. There had been some hope that London would receive help from Essex police who had agreed to take over the upkeep of the cameras. It is the decision to bring in Essex police that the MET have blocked- a move that has been described by Jenny as bordering on criminal:
‘It has been estimated that the freeze on recruitment will cost 40 lives in London. I can’t comprehend how the police can block a move to outsource work that could saved some of these lives’ said Jenny
Notes for Editors
· London has a backlog of about 600 cameras.
· The government freeze on Safety Camera Partnership Recruitment will mean that only 60 sites (as opposed to the planned 180 sites) will be covered in the coming year. Transport for London estimated that this drop was likely to result in 40 deaths.
· The planned outsourced work would have seen an additional 20 or so cameras in London.
ENDS