A controversial scheme is being considered by the police in Wigan, where members of the public are given speed guns in order to catch drivers who speed through their areas.

When there is an area where speeding is a problem, the speed guns could be handed over to residents of the area who will also make a note of the vehicle number plate.

Those drivers who are caught speeding by the community speed watch teams while have their number plates checked against the police national computer or the DVLA database and will have an official letter sent to them, warning the driver of their bad driving habits.

Heath Permberton, neighbourhood roads policing manager for Greater Manchester Police, said: “Where residents have concerns over speeding in their area it is possible for them to be issued with hand-held radar devices to record drivers’ speed.

“Residents receive training from traffic officers on how to use the devices, and anyone using them must wear high-visibility jackets and observe health and safety guidelines on working near highways.

“When motorists are recorded travelling above the prescribed speed limit, this information is passed on to a police liaison officer who will issue a warning letter. If the driver is caught speeding again further action may be considered as we are committed to reducing the number of casualties on the roads.”

The guideline is if a driver is found to have been caught by this scheme on three occasions, then it is possible that they could be prosecuted by the police, but there could be problems there when it comes down to the law.

Councillor Barry Fagan, of the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority, said: “The police should do their job. We are going down the wrong road with this. It can open up a minefield for lawyers.

“People will report someone and there will be many malicious cases. Being nosey is one thing, but making people look for people speeding it’s a minefield.”

The scheme is not cheap either, each team of six volunteers would cost an estimated £2,000 to set up, this money is supposed to come from the group, but it is more likely that their local authorities will foot the bill.

Source [Wigan Today]