Sharp-shooting police use cameras on bicycles to trap dangerous drivers

Avon and Somerset are first force to employ tactic, but insist use of the footage is not a threat to privacy

PLAIN-clothes police officers are being deployed with cameras on bicycles to catch unsuspecting motorists who drive too fast and dangerously.

Avon and Somerset police are believed to be the first force in the UK to use cameras fitted to their officers’ bicycles to target roads where they have received reports of frequent bad driving. Any film of poor or dangerous driving captured by the officers is uploaded to a secure police site where it is analysed to determine whether it merits a prosecution or a “warning” letter to the guilty motorist.

Damien Devanny, the Avon and Somerset officer behind the initiative, said it aimed to “sow the seeds” of doubt in drivers’ minds so they take greater care overtaking cyclists.

“It could be a police officer, it might not be. Or it might be a member of the public with a camera. We are open and transparent about it, and share on social media so we can change behaviour,” he said. “It’s not about covert operations. Although they are in plain clothes, it’s like any member of the public doing the same thing.”

The cameras, which cost £500 and film ahead and behind the bikes, are also used by uniformed officers on bikes, although research by Bath University, with whom the force is working, showed that motorists were more likely to give a wider berth if they saw “Police” on a cyclist’s jacket.

The scheme aims to exploit the growing trend for cyclists and motorists to use cameras or “dash cams” which police see as a tool to prosecute dangerous drivers and improve road safety. A third of road traffic collisions involve a cyclist or motorcyclist.

Three quarters of the 43 police forces in England and Wales are now signed up to a national database where anyone with dashcam, head cam or mobile phone footage can upload it for it to be passed to their local police road traffic unit after providing a short note on the details of the incident.

The number of incidents reported to the “national dash cam safety portal” has risen from 5,000 to more than 10,000 in the past year. Police prosecuted or took other action in 52 per cent of cases. Of 425 camera uploads to Avon and Somerset police in the first three months of this year – including those from cycling officers – 247 resulted in a prosecution, 134 led to warning letters and 44 merited no further action.

Civil liberty campaigners say the growth in the use of camera footage raises privacy concerns. Police say they are transparent about its use, that it is backed by the public and is targeted at high-risk roads for cyclists. “This is not about issuing loads of tickets,” said Mr Devanny. “It is about education.”