The Police Service of Northern Ireland is using enhanced technology with laser and video capability to tackle speeding as part of a pilot project with the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership (NIRSP).  Three Trucam II cameras – a hand-held equivalent to the NIRSP safety camera vans – will be used over the next three months as part of the initiative.

Trucam II cameras combine a speed-detecting laser with a video recording function, and can capture the information needed to prosecute drivers speeding without them stopping. 

Head of The Service’s Road Policing Unit, Chief Inspector Celeste Simpson said:

“Working with the Road Safety Partnership, we are committed to changing driver behaviour, improve road safety and deliver Operation Lifesaver to tackle speeding.

“We often hear police aren’t doing enough to tackle speeding on our roads, especially on rural roads. Having these cameras means we reach those roads where it isn’t suitable to deploy NIRSP safety camera vans, where there’s a proven history of collisions and where there is community concern. 

“These cameras, for use initially by our Road Policing Unit officers, can travel anywhere, at any time, on any road across Northern Ireland and can operate during hours of darkness.

“They can record moving footage and provide a high-definition image which can be processed without the need to stop the vehicles at the scene, streamlining the process of speed enforcement.

“They can detect speeding vehicles from distances up to one kilometre and, for anyone speeding, by the time they’ve seen it, it will be too late. They will have been detected and receive a notification in the post, the same as if detected by NIRSP safety camera vans. 

“As well as NIRSP safety camera vans and average speed cameras, this state-of-the-art technology should serve as a deterrent to anyone who thinks speeding is acceptable and they can get away with it, especially off the main roads.

(Picture: PSNI)