Provision of information held by Northumbria Police made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the 'Act')
As you may be aware the purpose of the Act is to allow a general right of access to information held at the time of a request, by a Public Authority (including the Police), subject to certain limitations and exemptions.
You asked:
Re Camera device at B1318 Great North Road/Junction with Moorfield, Newcastle.
1. A current and valid calibration certificate specific to this device..
2. After the camera has been returned following calibration please confirm if, apart from the certificate were there any reported faults & items replaced, if so please identify any parts and dates these were replaced.
3. After calibration, please confirm if the cameras are returned with a shutter speed of two
photographs at intervals of 0.5 seconds, and if any adjustments are made prior to reinstallation and if so, what are the setting adjustments?.
4. Please confirm the distance between the calibration lines on the road which are part of the
secondary check, so that speed can be calculated if five lines are passed.
5. Please provide clear and correct photographic evidence of this vehicle solely committing the
alleged offence.
In Response:
We have now had the opportunity to fully consider your request and I provide a response for your
attention. Following receipt of your request, searches were conducted within Northumbria Police. I can confirm that the information you have requested is held in part by Northumbria Police.
I am able to disclose the located information to you as follows.
2. No information held. The equipment is sent to the manufacturer to carry out the calibration
process. They return a fully calibrated camera. We are not informed of faults or parts replaced.
3. We do not adjust the shutter speed, it is set for 400 A.S.A. film speed. We do set the time for the second photograph to be taken 0.5 seconds after the first, this may have been done when it was returned after calibration but only if it had been altered during calibration. This would be the same for various other settings i.e. speed thresholds, type of vehicle, direction being monitored, radar range and whether or not it had been set for manual operation during calibration, or if we are installing the equipment in a different site than it had last been used in. When equipment is returned after annual calibration if any parameters have been set which are different to those we use they are adjusted. This does not affect the calibration.
4. The distance between the white dashes (secondary checks) which are painted on the road surface is approximately 5 feet.
To note — points 1 & 5 will not be responded to in this response. Point 5 relates to your personal
information and is therefore exempt under Section 40 of the Act
Additionally we are aware that both the certificate, at point 1, and the photographic evidence, at point 5, were provided to you on the 02/01/18 by our Fixed Penalty Unit.
