CYCLING UK chiefs have blasted Police Scotland for failing to adopt an easily accessed camera footage reporting system to make the roads safer.
The charity has created a coalition of 33 motoring and cycling groups that called on the force to set up the direct video submission scheme.
But Police Scotland responded by saying it believed its existing ways of working and strategies were benefiting road safety.
Representing all of Scotland’s road users, the organisations included the AA, RAC, road safety charities IAM RoadSmart and Brake, British Motorcyclists Federation, British Horse Society Scotland, Living Streets Scotland and Sustrans Scotland.
They told Chief Superintendent Louise Blakelock, head of road policing, that the system would make it quicker and easier to report and prosecute road crimes.
A letter to the senior Police Scotland officer said: “A camera footage system would be good news for all responsible road users and the police.
“The only bad news would be for irresponsible and law-breaking road users, who would be more effectively held to account.” The Scottish Government recently announced a Vision Zero target for eliminating road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
The coalition believes that a camera footage reporting system is an essential tool for making Scotland’s roads safer.
An increasing use of dashcams and cameras by cyclists, motorcyclists and horse riders has proved an effective way of taking action against dangerous drivers, it says.
Online systems allowing people to upload camera footage and report incidents are already in use in 40 of the 45 force areas in the UK, helping to save valuable police time, it is claimed.
Cycling UK’s work with these constabularies has revealed that such schemes cut an average of eight to 12 hours of police time per case, by using dedicated civilian staff to assess the video evidence and reducing the workload of uniformed officers.
After hearing of the Scottish force’s decision not to push ahead with the system, Jim Densham, Cycling UK’s campaigns and policy manager for Scotland, expressed his dismay.
He said: “Police Scotland are falling behind on the use of proven technology that helps to make our roads safer. It’s a no-brainer to introduce a system that is inexpensive, saves the police time and helps to catch dangerous drivers.
“The extraordinary coalition of organisations who signed the joint letter shows strong support across the board. There’s only one group who should fear this technology – irresponsible and law-breaking road users.
“The technology is already being used by 89 per cent of the UK’s police forces. Now is the time to roll out a direct online reporting system for Scotland and make it easier for the public to help the police do their vital work.”
But Chief Superintendent Blakelock insisted: “Reducing the number of road casualties is a priority for Police Scotland and we work closely with partners to help make roads safer for cyclists and all other road users.
“We are always looking at ways to enhance our ability to investigate road traffic offences. We regularly use footage from dashcams, headcams and CCTV to investigate road traffic collisions and offences.
“And Police Scotland can currently receive digital submissions from the public, once a crime report has been made. There is no immediate plan to expand existing online reporting mechanisms and allow digital submissions from the public in place of a crime report.
“However, our public contact and engagement strategy outlines our commitment to improving our technology to meet the changing needs of people and enable next-generation policing.”
