11/28/2004
Scotland: Fewer Cops, More Cameras, More DeathScotland police complain that emphasis on cameras has cut the police force in half.
The increase in the use of camera enforcement in Scotland has not produced a substantial safety benefit. Deaths are on the rise. One tangible side effect, however, has been a steady decline in the number of police officers on the streets since cameras entered the picture. Patrols have been cut in half, and road deaths are up 9%.
Key Statistic:
Despite the increased presence of cameras, the number of people killed on Scotland's roads rose by 9% last year to 331. The number of children killed rose by 20% to 17.
Article Excerpt:
there are only 30 traffic cars patrolling Scotland at any one time, compared with 60 in the mid-1990s, according to police.Source: Speed camera greed attacked as deaths rise (The Scotsman (UK), 11/28/2004)
Over the same period the number of speed cameras has soared to 500 and the number of Scots caught speeding last year rose by more than 60% to a record 180,948, generating £11m in fines.
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