Speed watchdogs reported to police ... by their victim
A SPEEDING driver caught by community volunteers reported them to police – claiming they were the law breakers.
Jason Higgins, 44, admitted he was breaking the speed limit in his Bentley when he was clocked by a Speedwatch group – who work with the support of police – and went back to confront them.
Mr Higgins, of Bathampton, Bath, said: “I was driving down the lane as my children go to the school there and the Speedwatch volunteers were sitting in a vehicle at the end of a driveway.
“At first I stopped as I thought their car was pulling out and then I noticed the black device. I drove back to ask them what they were doing.
“I explained that instead of stopping an accident they could have caused one as they were at the end of the drive and holding a black object, which could cause someone to stop suddenly.
“They were causing the problem rather than solving it and were not doing it the right way as I couldn’t see their high-visibility jackets.
“Later on, I spoke to the officer involved with the group and he said they were not working in accordance with the law by being in their vehicle and he would have a word.”
In guidance issued to Bathampton Speedwatch by Avon and Somerset Constabulary, volunteers are told to wear fluorescent jackets at all times and ensure they are “fully visible to drivers of vehicles”.
Mr Higgins added: “The limit is 20mph and I think I was doing about 24mph at the time but I don’t know why it is 20mph because you can walk faster than that.”
Speedwatch volunteer Barry Southern said “We were in a vehicle but we were wearing hi-vis jackets, so were not exactly invisible. The guy went past us at 30mph and came back to ask what we were doing as we had pointed something at him.” He said the group no longer uses a vehicle.